


Spellbound

by Livinginfictions



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ella Enchanted Fusion, BAMF!Rose, Cinderella Elements, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Minor Character Death, Prince!Doctor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-04-29 14:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14474808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livinginfictions/pseuds/Livinginfictions
Summary: Rose Tyler has a gift. The gift of obedience.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> "Fairy Tales tell as their labels imply,  
> Stories of magic, of creatures that fly,
> 
> With Giants and Dragons and Ogres and Elves,  
> And inanimate objects that speak for themselves
> 
> There’s romance and danger and plotting of schemes,  
> There’s good guys, and bad guys, and some guys inbetween,
> 
> A fairy tale also reveals some sort of truth  
> The perils of choices we face in our youth
> 
> Our story today is different in theme  
> For our hero had no choice, or so it would seem"  
> -Ella Enchanted

_ It starts with a fairy bestowing a spell _

_ This one’s for a baby named Rose of Powell. _

 

In a simple wooden cradle lay a child with a bright red face and waving fists, screaming at the world’s indignities. Her dirty blonde hair was already thick on her head, and her brown eyes smoldered in fury. Wrapped around her was a white wool blanket that held at least her legs still. In the corner of the blanket, embroidered in flowing red letters, was the name  _ Rose _ .

As the little girl cried, a blonde woman rushed into the room, shushing and muttering. “Oh, stop fussing sweetheart, mother’s here. Oh Rose, calm down.” She lifted Rose from the cradle and began to bounce her softly in her arms. When Rose continued to bawl, the woman turned to the redheaded fairy who had followed her in. “I swear, she’s got a temper like a wild animal. I don’t know where she gets it, what with her father being so quiet.”

The fairy herself looked to be only a young woman, but Amelia was in fact nearly a century old. Her ginger hair was hanging straight down to her shoulders, and she wore a simple pink gown fit for her station as a household helper. At the mother’s words, she covered a snort and looked innocently out the window. “I’ve no idea, Jackie, but maybe burping her would help?” 

Amelia turned to a small table piled high with linens that needed folding and lifted her hands to make a beckoning motion. From the mess rose a clean cloth, it hovered above the table defiantly. “Come on, all the way!” Suddenly the cloth shot through the air and into Amy’s face. She sighed, tugging it from her face in embarrassment. “I’ve swear I’m going to get that right someday.”

Before Amy could bring the towel over to Jackie and Rose, the air in the bedroom rippled. Someone was coming. The visitor’s identity was announced by a wheezing, mechanical groan. Both women stared at each other in terror, “Idris!”

Jackie handed Rose off to Amy and began looking around as if planning to find a weapon and scare Idris away. “That fairy is off her rocker, I heard what kind of gifts she gives, and Rose doesn’t need any of them!”

“What if we hide her?” Not thinking, Amy pulled open the wardrobe and slipped Rose into a purse hanging from a hook. “That looks good, and look she’s stopped crying.” It appeared that the shock of the moment had temporarily silenced Rose’s screams, and Amy closed the wardrobe, leaning against it to keep the jammed door shut.

With perfect timing, a body materialized in the space where the table used to be. A woman stood, appearing dazed, but extremely excited. Her hair was fluffed into what looked like a nest at the top of her head, and long strands tangled together down her neck. She wore a long light blue dress full of rips and stains and she was quite frankly the least well put together fairy godmother in all of Powell. “She’ll get the necklace back, I promise.” Idris peered around the room, and nearly teleported away at the sight of Amy and Jackie.

Crossing her arms, Amy stepped in front of her lady and squared off with the godmother. “What’d you do to our changing table?”

“I atomized it, oh wrong time, wrong universe. The table was there, and I wanted to be there, so I redistributed it. Where did you put my Bad Wolf?” She was sniffing, shaking out her fingers and then staring at her arms as though she didn’t recognize her own body.

They said that Idris had once been the most respected and gracious of godmothers in all of Gallifrey. Then one day her teleport went awfully wrong, and when she came back she’d screamed about a thief for almost a full day before suddenly going back to work. Every gift she gave had strange consequences, and the types of gifts were completely bizarre. One girl received the gift of something called Wi-Fi, and she spent her days staring into a magic mirror as though she could see something other than her own reflection in the glass. She could answer nearly any question about the world, but often refused to say anything important on the excuse of ‘spoilers’. Another girl didn’t receive her gift until her 16th birthday, when Idris showed up and snapped a carriage into existence. It needed no horse, and the girl had driven it away that instant. At least her mother still heard from her, receiving letters from all over the world.

Jackie shook her head furiously and snapped, “What are you babbling about? My daughter’s name is Rose.”

With a tilt of her head, Idris stared intently at the wardrobe, just as the door popped open and revealed Rose’s bundled form. “For now.” She strode forward and lifted Rose from the purse, cuddling her close with surprising tenderness. “Hello, Your Majesty. Were you ready for your gift? How did you like it? Oh, wait, not yet. Here you go.” She snapped her fingers and the baby’s face, which had been scrunching in preparation for another scream, suddenly relaxed. “Sleep now, things to argue about.”

Rose’s eyes slid shut, and she was the picture of innocence. This didn’t please Jackie, and she snatched Rose out of Idris’ arms. “What’d you do to her?”

“Obedience. She must be obedient.” Idris looked down at Rose and her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Her what? And what do you mean she must be obedient? Take it back! That’s a horrible gift!” Now it was Amy’s turn to be angry, and she and Jackie stood together, backing Idris against the wall.

Idris looked nearly nonchalant for a moment, then her eyes focused for the first time since she’d appeared. With a low, apologetic voice, she spoke. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way it must be done here. My Bad Wolf must create herself, if she is to find her way. Tell her I love her, and I hope she finds my thief.”

In a burst of golden light Idris teleported away, leaving the women in the room alarmed and confused, while Rose slept on.

 

_ In spite of the spell Rose grew up strong of mind, _

_ Her gift made her obedient but her heart made her kind _

 

As a child, Rose was always drawn to those in need. Her friends ranged from Ogre to wild animal, much to her mother’s chagrin, but soon enough her heart stuck on one human girl in particular. Donna lived nearby, and attended the same school as Rose, though she was a couple years ahead. Like Rose, she had a temper worth fearing, but she was a firm believer in making the world a better place by yelling at it. This made social niceties difficult, and Donna was regularly picked on by both older and younger students for her abrasive personality.

This didn’t deter Rose. Far from it, she was familiar with the sight of someone scared and hurting lashing out. All it took to seal their friendship was the day Rose found Donna getting pushed into the sand, and promptly bit the bully on the arm. Only because they had asked her to, of course. After that they were inseparable, and Donna found a second home in Rose’s manor.

Although Donna had a tendency to shout, she never picked up on the accommodating nature of Rose, because her orders were always directed at inanimate objects or the world in general. Never her strong minded best friend.

Rose was a force of nature, fueled by a neverending need to stand up and do the right thing. It was only her massive amounts of respect for her mother, father, and Amy that made her obey their every request, she was sure. At least, she was until the night of her 11th birthday, when an offhand comment from Amy about stuffing her face led to Rose being covered in her birthday cake and facing a rather painful stomachache.

The only friend who had wanted to stick around after her destruction of the cake was Donna, who claimed it would’ve been too sweet for her anyway. As much as Rose begged, her mother still sent Donna home, promising a sleepover the next weekend instead. Then she and Amy took Rose upstairs and helped her clean herself up. Once Rose was clothed in a soft nightgown, and snugly wrapped in the baby blanket she now used as a shawl, Amy plaited her short hair into two braids as Jackie revealed a secret.

It seemed like a truly awful joke at first, and Rose quickly began to feel the need to scream into a pillow as her mother had taught her, but together they convinced her of its truth. Rose’s gift was one of obedience. She always had to do as she was told, no matter what.

There were rules of course. One order would cancel out any opposing ones made before it, and some faded in time. She couldn’t be ordered to hurt herself, or allow others to hurt her directly. It was the same with every gift, the survival instinct in humans was too strong. 

But these small blessings meant nothing to Rose, who ended up screaming into a pillow anyway. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right! Who was her fairy godmother to put this curse on Rose and then say she loved her? Who was anyone to make Rose do anything she didn’t want to do?

As a basic household fairy, Amy couldn’t remove it, as much as she wanted. Even if she’d had the power, fairy guidelines forbid anyone other than the giver of the gift from taking it away, and Idris had disappeared again, permanently this time, right after bestowing the spell. Nothing could be done.

 

_ So Rose now knew why she’d always obeyed, _

_ But she never stopped fighting to have things her way. _

 

Knowing about her curse only made Rose more stubborn and determined to make her own choices in life. Her father Pete was the main supplier of her free will, and she insisted on being taught everything that interested her. One bat of her eyelashes got Rose tumbling lessons, language lessons, even self defense lessons once a week. Her mother was proud of her for taking control of her own life, but there were certain thin gs Rose was still forced to do.

She learned to sew badly, dance brilliantly, and run a household. Rose learned the proper curtseys, how to do her own hair, and every kind of skill proper for a young lady. She fought every minute of it, but Jackie was not going to budge. 

So Rose searched for loopholes. Yes, she would clean the kitchen, but she would do it in her own time. Of course she would make her bed, but she would do it the wrong direction just to prove she could. Each time, at the very last second, her whole body would zing and in a moment’s time everything would be put back to its rightful place. It was awful.

The orders themselves were possibly the worst part. Each time someone so much as said, “Bless you.” A spark would travel down Rose’s spine and her hands would move of their own accord, making the sign of a random god and asking for a blessing. Requests for her to say things meant nothing could stem the flow of words from her mouth. More than once Rose was sent home from school for swearing on a dare, only for her mother to sigh and send her to play in her room until dinner. At least Jackie understood, and didn’t blame Rose. Sometimes the swears were absolutely awful, and Rose would run to her mother’s arms on being picked up because someone had forced her to say terrible things to a foreign student, or someone who looked different.

Soon Rose became isolated. The only friend she knew would never order her around was Donna, and Rose still couldn’t bring herself to tell her about the curse. At least it limited the trouble Rose got into outside of home.

 

_ As she struggled to find a way out of her gift, _

_ She had no way of knowing something worse was adrift. _

 

The sickness came both slowly and all at once. For a long time Jackie had a cough and a sniffle. Pete gave her doses of all the health tonics he peddled, even the ones meant to make your hair grow faster or your legs get longer. Nothing helped. Then, in the course of a week she became bedridden, slipped into a coma, and died.

It was as though Jackie knew what was coming from the first morning she had to stay in bed. She called Rose alone into the room, and cuddled her close on the covers. “Listen to me sweetheart. Only Amy and I know about your gift.” She had always insisted on calling it that, a gift. “We’ve never even told your father, who knows what it would do to him. But Rose, you can never tell anyone else about it either. I want to keep you safe sweetheart, and this is the only way to keep anyone from using it against you.” The spark Rose felt at her mother’s request rang strong through her 12 year old body. This would not be something that faded with time. A dying wish had to be obeyed.

Rose had started crying, but her anger was snuffed out by the sheer devastation in her heart. “Mum, please. You’ve got to get better.”

“Remember, no matter what anybody says or tells you to do, look to yourself, Rose. What’s inside you is stronger than any spell.” The words seemed to be choking Jackie, and her coughing brought Pete and Amy into the room. Somehow, being surrounded by her family wasn’t making Rose feel any better.

Her father tugged her off the bed, but just before she slipped off the edge, a small piece of metal was placed in Rose’s hand. It was her mother’s favourite necklace, a golden chain decorated by a rosy pink heart. With a voice as faint as a ghost’s, Jackie whispered, “Take this, and I’ll never leave you.”


	2. Developments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'd just like to warn you all that yes, Reinette does get portrayed rather unkindly within this fic. I know she gets a lot of hate from the fandom, myself included, and I didn't really want to make her look bad here, but there was honestly no one else who could compare and take her place. I hope you can forgive me, and recognize that this is a fairy tale, and someone Has to be the villain. 
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy.

After her mother’s death, Rose’s life quickly developed a polarity. Supporting her mother’s wishes for Rose to become a well bred lady occupied Rose’s days, while her nights were spent fulfilling her own wishes.

Pete lost all faith in his tonics and health drinks, and gave them all up to become a travelling salesman for various other companies, a job which kept him away from home more often than not. It didn’t pay well either, and Rose’s tutors and lessons had to be cancelled, and the majority of the household staff let go. Instead, Rose helped Amy with the chores and the maintenance, and her ability to run a home was put to the test by the time she was 14.

While they worked, Amy continued Rose’s education on manners and customs and proper ladylike behaviour. It was up to Rose to keep up with her other interests. She begged, cajoled, and traded with experts to continue her self defense, gymnastics, and language lessons. Not a moment of it was wasted, and hours were spent each day in practice. Her schoolwork suffered, but without her father there to reprimand her, Rose let her grades slip to the back of her mind. There were more important things. Losing her mother had only made Rose’s need to help stronger. If she had any say in the matter, Rose would never let another person suffer in front of her.

She went on her first excursion into the Gamma Forest when she was 14, and she nearly didn’t return. Rose met a small Ogre child crying on the ground at the edge of a clearing with a scraped knee, and was ambushed as she bandaged the cut. The child at least had seen she meant no harm, but the rest of the ogre family thought she was a threat and attacked. Rose would have been able to get away if her dress wasn’t so clunky. It slowed her movements and caught on her feet, preventing her from kicking or jumping away.

A blow to the side threw Rose into a tree, and on instinct, she climbed it. The ogres were too dense for climbing, and they shouted threats at her from the ground for nearly half an hour before the child Rose had helped was able to get a word in. Rose had been studying Ogrish with her tutors for more than two years, but she found it difficult to follow as the child, Elt, explained rapidly in their native tongue that they’d wandered away from the hunting party to chase a rabbit and tripped over a fallen tree branch. Rose had been trying to help, not hurt.

One of the ogres, probably a parent, though Rose couldn’t remember if ogres even had genders, finally looked up at Rose and grunted in Ogrish, “I suppose it’s not much worth it to eat her. She’s too small anyway.” After a moment they added in rough English, “What is your name?”

Rose crouched on her tree limb and looked around, desperately trying to think of an alias. If she gave her real name, they might track her home, or at the very least leak word of her visit to someone who might punish her. Travelling the forest without an escort was illegal, as the Regent Rassilon, crowned just a couple years before, had claimed the land as his personal hunting grounds. An alias was the only way to go, but what could she say?

A memory floated to the front of her mind, along with a name. Rose had asked her mother to describe Idris’ visit when she was a baby more than a thousand times. It made her shiver to imagine someone so confusing and so powerful insisting that Rose  _ needed  _ to be obedient, as though it was her destiny or something. Jackie had always shook her head and muttered, “Strangest thing I think she said, she didn’t want to call you Rose. Kept insisting you were something called The Bad Wolf. Absolute nutter, she was.”

Rose repeated the name under her breath, trying it out. Not only would it be sure to keep Rose safe, but it wasn’t a bad name for her anyway. Her mother had always told her she had a wild animal’s temper. Finally she stood up on the limb and tried to project some kind of confidence. Years of practice made walking along the narrow but thick branch easy, and when she reached a comfortable spot where the entire clan could see her Rose stared down at them and said simply, “Call me Bad Wolf.” Her tongue was normally very talented with languages, but Rose felt clunky speaking in front of actual Ogres.

It seemed safer to stay in the tree, rather than attempt walking through the forest to get home, so Rose waved goodbye to Elt and climbed up another level until there was a good enough branch to land on in the tree next to her. Taking a running start, Rose leaped from one tree to the other. The landing was a little clumsy, but she tried again, and again, until she was far out of sight of the ogres and could take her time.

The visits continued, and soon Rose became a regular sight in the trees of the Gamma forest. Jumping and climbing from tree to tree kept Rose safe from any patrols, and any cranky forest dwellers that didn’t know her well enough to see she wasn’t a threat. She only fell once, but luckily she wasn’t far up and only sprained her ankle. Her skirt had gotten wrapped around her legs and a misstep had her tumbling to the forest floor. Being exposed and injured had made Rose begin to panic, and when the bushes next to her rustled, she reached for the small dagger she kept strapped to her thigh. It was a last resort, in case she couldn’t talk her way out or escape from an attack.

It was Elt. The ogre child had grown nearly two feet in the couple of months since they’d first met, and it was clear they still had a ways to go before they finished growing. Ogres could reach 9 feet if they were well fed, and Rose shouldn’t have been surprised by the growth spurt, but it was slightly disorienting to be picked up by someone who’d only reached her chest the last time they’d met. Elt had remembered Rose, and they carried her to the edge of the forest before setting her down gently. Rose knew Elt couldn’t go any farther without being in danger, so she said goodbye before they left the safety of the trees, offering a clumsy thanks in Ogrish and a hug.

The walk home was extremely painful, and she’d been forced to admit her adventure to Amy, who was less than pleased. The ginger had shouted, then gone to quiet scolding, before finally settling on the ‘I’m disappointed’ face that she knew hurt much worse than words. Amy had been taking care of Rose since her birth, and she had every right to be angry. Rose had always been a wild child, but trespassing in the Gamma forest and travelling via tree branch was a new level of crazy. It took nearly two weeks before Amy forgave Rose enough to hear out her reason for going.

To Rose’s surprise, once she’d laid it all out and expressed the importance of her work to her, Amy understood. After a lot of discussion, and more than a little begging, Amy used her adept sewing skills to help Rose alter her clothing to better suit a double life. All of her dresses were divided into blouse and skirt, the latter of which became tearaway, and a little fairy magic added to the pouches on Rose’s belt allowed her to fit much more inside them than was normal. Most importantly, she made Rose a few pairs of proper trousers that could be worn underneath her skirt without anyone the wiser. At the drop of a hat, or the snick of an axe, Rose’s skirts could be ripped away, leaving her in trousers that were much more comfortable for climbing and self defense.

She agreed to keep the secret from Pete, who by then was struggling to even find sales jobs and spent most of his time on long travels to nobleman’s conventions where he did his best to keep up appearances, or riding his horse. Even when he was home, Rose ran the house, keeping the books organized, budgeting for groceries and animal feed, and collecting his meager nobleman’s stipend from the bank in town. It wasn’t all that difficult to keep things from him, because he never asked. What time he could spend with Rose, he insisted on keeping work and problem free. They only talked about happy things, and enjoyed the moment. As far as Pete knew, his daughter was the image of perfection; a well bred, well behaved young lady whose only true goal in life was to marry high and live long. He’d have been happy with whatever she wanted to do or become, but it reassured him that she would someday be taken care of by a good man.

His own attempts to ensure the security of both his land and family led to an interesting development.

“You’re married?” Rose couldn’t believe it. Surely things weren’t that bad. Jumping up from her spot on the chair in front of her father’s writing desk, she blinked at him in disbelief. In the 5 years since her mother’s death, Pete had insisted that they didn’t need anyone else. He had Rose, and Amy was part of the family, and that was enough for him. Why now?

Pete’s eyes pleaded with her, “She has money Rose, and she’s happy to take my title. I know we’ve gotten by before now, but with inflation it’s just—it’s either get married or sell the house. I refuse to let you lose your home.” He tried for a lighter tone. “You’ll adore Lady Yvonne, and her two daughters. She’ll make a wonderful mother for you.”

Maybe he’d become suspicious of Rose’s weekly outings, or perhaps he’d heard from someone about her dropping out of school. If Pete thought Rose needed a new mother, he was sorely mistaken. She glared at him, and began to back away, but he amended his words. “Well, a mother-like figure.” He stood and came around his desk to rest his hands on her shoulders. “Sweetheart, you know I’d never try to replace your mum. No one could compare to Jackie, and I wouldn’t want them to. But we need the money, Rose.”

When he saw her anger fading away, he smiled, “At least you’ll have some new friends.”

They arrived that day by carriage. Rose waited a moment before following her father out the front door. The last thing she wanted was to see her father kissing another woman. When she finally came up to stand next to Pete, she took a good long look at her new relatives.

Lady Yvonne radiated power. From the black mourning dress she wore in deference to her late husband, to the striking surety of her gaze. It was immediately obvious that she held no love for Rose’s father, and marrying him had been just as beneficial for her, as it was for Pete. The way she sneered at their home hinted that Pete’s penchant for flowery language had misled Yvonne about the quality of their livelihood, and Rose bit down on a smirk.

Behind her stood two young women, one older, and one younger than Rose. Reinette looked at least 21, but she held herself like a high married duchess. She was the most perfect woman Rose had ever seen. Not a hair out of place, perfect posture and balance when she curtseyed, and an air of seduction oozed from her smile. Clearly, Reinette was used to getting what she wanted, one way or another.

Lynda was different. She couldn’t have been more than 16, and she looked even younger. Her hair was curled into pigtails, and she wore a dark purple dress covered in glitter and faux fur that looked a bit like dress up clothes, it was so extravagant. She had a very sweet smile, but her placement just behind Reinette spoke volumes about where her loyalties lay.

The three women had honey blonde hair, natural, as opposed to Rose’s chemically lightened blonde, and their money was obvious in all of their outfits. Onyx pebbled Yvonne’s gown, while opals and pearls were draped across Reinette’s neck in perfect elegance. Pete had been right, this would allow them to keep their house and land for a couple generations.

In that case, it might be worth it to try and make friends, like her father had suggested. After being introduced, Rose stepped up to her new stepsisters and gave her best smile. She ignored the sounds of Yvonne complaining about the size of the house under her breath and said, “Hello, I’m Rose Tyler. Welcome to Powell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? I tried to make this chapter a bit longer, and as I said, I want to make the story really unique. How did I do?


	3. Conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!
> 
> Unbeta'd: All mistakes are mine.

Playing the part of dutiful daughter, Rose led Reinette and Lynda up to their room. It was the only guest bedroom in the house, but it was sizeable enough, with big windows. Rose used to practice painting in the room, before other activities took up her free time. As they walked through the house Rose tried to point out her favourite things about it, hoping it would make the girls feel more at home. Reinette’s first look at her bedroom for the foreseeable future led to a snort that somehow still managed to sound prim.

“You must be joking. This room is absolutely... _ common _ . And where is Lynda supposed to sleep?” She distinctly ignored the sight of two beds.

Rose tried to keep her polite voice on as she said, “Actually, you’ll be sharing this room. It’s the only one left in the house. You can rearrange it anyway you like though, or even paint the walls if you want.”

Reinette sniffed, but seemed to resign herself to the living quarters. “I suppose anything would be better than this hideous shade of, what is this? Mud?”

Lynda on the other hand, seemed perfectly happy with the room, and she bounced on her mattress for a few moments before pulling large posters from the bag she’d carried up with her. A few tacks later and they covered most of the wall on one half of the room. All the sketches were of the same man in various poses with slogans scrawled underneath. Rose recognized the portrait and leaned against the door as she asked, “What’s with the Prince pinups?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Lynda happily declared, “Reinette is President of the Doctor’s fanclub.”

She’d heard about this club, and that they all called Prince James ‘The Doctor’ for some reason. Rose and Donna had often had a laugh at the kiss marks on similar posters hung up around town. As much as she despised Prince James’ politics, and those of his uncle, she couldn’t help feeling slightly sorry for him. Being the target of a bunch of young girl’s affections had to be exhausting, let alone a target of Reinette’s.

“So those are yours then?” she asked Reinette, earning a fourth condescending look of the day from her, Rose was counting.

Reinette had begun unpacking as well, but her belongings mostly consisted of jewelry, hair accessories, and textbooks. At Rose’s inquiry, she slammed down a law book onto her desk. “Of course not! I would never waste my time on silly pictures. I’m only President of that group because one must know one’s opponent better than they know themselves.”

Frowning, Rose crossed her arms, “What, are you and the Prince sworn enemies or something?” That would definitely surprise Rose, but at least it would be something they could agree on.

As soon as he’d become Regent after the tragic death of both King Wilfred, and Crown Prince John, Rassilon had imposed massive segregation and cruel laws on all non-human entities in the entire country of Gallifrey. All Giants were sold into slavery, Ogres were declared vicious beasts and were hunted by royal parties in the Gamma Forest that Rose frequented. Their food stock was nearly hunted out, leaving the carnivorous people desperate enough to actually attack humans, which only perpetuated the stereotypes. That wasn’t even touching the Elfin restriction orders that prevented Elves from working any kind of job that wasn’t directly entertainment based. No writing, no painting, no lawyers or soldiers or shopkeepers. Only singing, dancing, juggling, or tomfoolery. It was abominable, and the Prince had yet to do anything about it. The country had just sunk to Rassilon’s level, happy to hide behind atrocious behaviours out of an unreasonable fear of peaceful people.

If Reinette really had a problem with the Prince, perhaps this marriage wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. But Rose was born to be disappointed. Reinette flushed a pretty pink and pointed a dangerous finger at Rose. “That’s treasonous! Of course he isn’t my enemy, you child. I am his future wife!”

The forcefulness of her own words surprised Reinette, and she smoothed down her silk skirts to calm herself before speaking in a much more even tone. “At least, I will be. It’s just a matter of time.”

She turned her attention to putting away her actual clothing, but froze when she realized her armoire was half her height. “Is this hutch meant to be a closet? My clothes need more room than this!” It was all they had. Money was tight, and there wasn’t enough in the budget to buy a new wardrobe before the women arrived.

Rose stuttered to find a response, but Reinette simply cut her off. “We’ll just have to use yours. Show it to us.”

Sparks flew from Rose’s eyes, and even as they straightened her spine and sent her to her room, she argued. “That is a perfectly decent sized place to put clothing! It’s not my fault you’ve got too many dresses.” Her actions betrayed her, and Rose pulled open the door on her full sized closet for her stepsister’s perusal.

They took their time looking over Rose’s room when they finally entered, and Lynda seemed enchanted by the four poster bed Rose had inherited from a grandparent. “Wow, it’s so—” an elbow to Lynda’s side cut her off, and she tried pitifully to think of an insult. “It’s so...old.”

Reinette on the other hand, had a different problem with the room. “Look at this! Your room is twice the size of ours. And you’ve got a bigger, albeit uglier, bed. Why do you deserve to be treated so much better? I insist that we switch rooms.” Luckily, it wasn’t a proper command, and Rose didn’t have to do anything, except fight really hard not to slap her.

“That’s not happening,” she seethed. For once, Reinette took her seriously, and she finally went to look at the closet that Rose was still holding open.

After digging around and making some more infuriatingly perfect snorts of derision, she huffed, “There’s no spare room in here either. We’ll have to move some of your clothing.” Without waiting for an answer, she leaned over and began pulling Rose’s blouses off their hangers.

“Hey! Get away from there!” Having completed her last task, Rose was free to snatch the clothing away from Reinette and shove her toward the bedroom door.

Reinette looked absolutely shocked. Just as she opened her mouth to deliver what was sure to be a scathing lecture, she stopped. Her eyes were caught on Rose’s collarbone, and Rose instinctively moved a hand up to cover what she knew hung there.

The perfect girl’s whole demeanor changed, and Rose got a first hand view of how Reinette accomplished her goals. “Rose, I feel very much like we got off on the wrong foot. It’s clear that you and I are never going to be the best of friends, but I would like to think that with a bit of communication the two of us could at least remain civil for the sake of our parents.” It nearly sounded genuine, until she continued. “I propose we start with an exchange of gifts. For my part, I will agree to leave your closet and your bedroom alone. You’ll never hear another word about switching. And in return, I would rather love if you gave me that necklace you’re wearing.”

Rose’s eyes nearly caught fire, and she backed up a step. “Who do you think you are? No, you can’t have my room, or my closet, or my necklace. This was my mother’s, you spoiled brat!”

As Rose puffed up in fury and prepared to bodily remove the two girls from her bedroom, Reinette lost her patience. “How dare you speak to me like that? You are nothing but a child, and now I demand you give me that necklace as an apology for your ridiculous behaviour!”

To her absolute horror, Rose’s whole body zinged, and her hands moved of their own accord. She unclasped the golden chain from around her neck and dropped it in Reinette’s waiting hand, while tears streamed down her face.

Reinette looked bewildered at the sudden change in Rose’s mood, but she seemed content with the gift and led Lynda out of the room by an arm. Rose was left standing, crying, and cursing that awful Idris woman more than she ever had before.

Things did not improve.

There was nothing Rose could do without causing a massive row and possibly ending the marriage that was keeping food on the table. Amy noticed Rose’s missing necklace at once, but even though she offered to try and steal it back, if not point out the injustice directly, Rose couldn’t let her. Rose’s family was dependent on these new women, they couldn’t afford to upset them.

Even Pete noticed Rose’s neck was bare at dinner that night, but before he could work anything out for himself, Reinette spun a story about how 'dear Rose' had just insisted on giving it to her as a welcome gift. Rose, whose normal seat at the table had been moved to the far end, completely separated from her father, couldn’t say a word.

This was only the beginning of the changes that Rose’s stepsisters and stepmother had in store for the household. They really were bringing in a lot of money, and that meant the entire house underwent a change. All new staff were hired, including handmaids, leaving Amy with the task of keeping track of them all. It should have been a good thing, but without chores to keep her out of her father’s view, it wouldn’t be long before Pete noticed Rose was no longer in school. Logically, he should have found out as soon as Lynda left for school alone in the morning, but Lynda wasn’t nearly as bad as her sister and when Rose asked her not to tell, she kept the secret.

Reinette got her remodeled bedroom, and a bigger closet, and anything else her heart dreamt up. She was already finishing her third year at the local university, and requested control of Pete’s office for studying. He was goo in her manicured hands.

As much as it pained Rose to admit it, it was nice to see her father’s land up and running at top condition again. It’d been years since they’d had enough workers, or even a well stocked pantry. Things had been worse than Rose thought, but at least she’d been happy.

That was not the case anymore. Lynda, while sweet, avoided Rose for fear of catching her sister’s wrath. The longest conversation they’d had was when Reinette had lost her patience with Lynda and forced her to help Rose with the dusting. Reinette, on the other hand, searched Rose out for benign chores and picking her mind about local shops. Whether or not she realized it, with each meeting between the two women, there was at least one order Rose had to obey. Sometimes it was tiny, like her telling Rose to remind her of something the next day, but sometimes it was ridiculous. A snide comment about holding her tongue left Rose feeling like an absolute idiot.

Then, as if to top it all off, Pete went away again. He’d finally gotten a job that could have the potential to keep them independently afloat, but it required him to go away for the next few years. Pete had spent days travelling, weeks, even a couple months at one point. But he’d never left Rose alone for a whole year, let alone three. She was only 19, and he was leaving her alone with her awful new family.

Yvonne had mostly ignored Rose up to that point, but as soon as Pete was out the door, her attention sharpened. Rose effectively became a personal maid to her stepmother. She picked out her clothing, helped her dress herself in decadent silks and velvets, brought her every meal, and was forced to succumb to the whims of her sisters as well. Even if Rose hadn’t been charmed to be obedient, she still wouldn’t have had a choice. Yvonne held all the cards, and she knew it. One wrong word and Yvonne could leave, stranding Rose in a house she couldn’t pay for with her father halfway across the country.

So Rose did what she did best. She obeyed. It turned out the one thing she didn’t have to worry about was Yvonne’s judgement about her leaving school. In fact, Yvonne was the one who brought it up.

As Rose laid out breakfast on the dining table, Yvonne snatched up a piece of fruit and casually spoke. “I know that the university is starting their fall classes soon. I hope you didn’t bother registering. Your help is crucial to keeping this house a home, you know.”

Reinette didn’t even look at Rose when she responded for her, “Oh mother, Rose never even finished her normal schooling. Besides, there’s no way she would be allowed on the university campus with the way she looks most of the time. Like dirty little dog running around.”

Both women had laughed, but Lynda at least had the decency to looked ashamed for spilling Rose’s secret.

Eventually Rose’s only opportunities for freedom came from disappearing into the forest to find someone to help or make friends with, or sneaking out to the town with Donna. It was impossible to keep the truth of her situation from her best friend, even though Rose had managed to avoid admitting her secret identity over the years easily enough. This was different. This was constant harassment and long hours of work, and Donna saw it on Rose the instant they met up. Each time she would request a description of that day’s maltreatment, and then she would move on, like Rose wanted her to.

It was nice to be able to pretend nothing was wrong for a while, to play at being a normal girl out with her friend to watch cute boys or, more commonly, to protest at town gatherings. They’d started doing it at Donna’s insistance, almost as soon as she’d starting attending the university. She’d said that lots of students did it, and it really did make a difference. So Rose and Donna regularly painted banners and put up posters and held rallies with anyone who would listen in the town square. Sometimes they got a good response, and sometimes they got threatened with a night in jail. It was good fun, and it made Rose feel like she was helping, without having to revert to her Bad Wolf alias.

The Bad Wolf was well known by the time Rose was 21. The anxiety of waiting for her father to return had sent her scurrying into the trees more times than she could count, and each time she became closer and closer with the clans of Ogres and the Elven villages that were sequestered away. They spoke of their struggles, of their abuse, and Rose did anything she could think of that would help. From teaching small children to read, to bandaging Ogres injured in hunting raids. She refused to accept payment in the form of anything material, and so the families she became friends with repaid her in knowledge. Rose learned how to cook a wonderful venison stew, which plants to avoid, the medical uses of certain flowers, and even how to use a sword. She’d tried to refuse the last one, but it was pointed out to her that a simple dagger wasn’t going to save her from a bloodthirsty royal guard.

It came to be that the Bad Wolf was actually popular in the southern Gamma Forest, and she rarely if ever needed to travel by tree anymore. Just the mention of her name was enough to get her directions to the nearest safe haven, or at least get her a headstart if someone was particularly hungry. She became friends with powerful people, like Elt, who’d taken over as their clan’s leader and immediately promised Rose safety from any Ogre under their power. It was a strange feeling, to have so many friends that didn’t even know her birth name, but Bad Wolf was sounding more and more like her name as well. Her chosen name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, waddya think? I'm trying so hard with this worldbuilding, I hope you guys can see how I'm trying to connect the characters to their movie counterparts. Is it working? Do Rose and The Doctor sound like themselves?  
> I know that 'James' POV sections are much shorter than Rose's, but that's because while James is super important, Rose is still our main character. <3


	4. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters have been coming so slowly, things have been really hectic for me lately. Doing my best though. In the meantime, enjoy!
> 
> Unbeta'd: All mistakes are mine.

James flipped through his copy of  _ The Damsel Zone _ , and cringed at the portraits of his that had appeared in the new edition. For one, they never got his hair right, and why did they have to make him shirtless? The mall opening he was to attend that day was sure to be filled to the brim with fans probably requesting autographs on these same magazines and screaming his nickname.  _ The Doctor _ . It was a ridiculous name given to him by his closest friend, but Jack had accidentally let it slip in front of untrustworthy company and for the last 7 years he’d been forced to scribble it as his signature on teenage girls’ posters because they wouldn’t accept anything else.

“Uncle, do I really have to go to this? You promised I could leave for my trip after graduation. I’m on a deadline if I want to get to Raxacoricofallapatorius in time to record the meteor shower!” James peered out the carriage window for a moment before switching his magazine for a scroll detailing the time and place he could get the best view of the shimmering rocks burning up in the atmosphere. It’d been his Uncle’s idea that he take a few months off to go traveling before his coronation, and James had gladly accepted.

If there was one thing his Uncle was, he was patient. After the death of James’ father and brother, Rassilon allowed him 3 years to mourn properly. Then, when James had begged to go to school outside of the country rather than taking the crown, Rassilon’s one request was that he make it worth the time spent, and James had. He’d finished 3 degrees in 2 years apiece, and now his Uncle was still letting him put off the coronation. He really shouldn’t be complaining, but all the pomp and circumstance was the exact reason he wanted to go traveling.

Rassilon shook himself from the slight doze he’d fallen into, and absently petted his silver snake, Toclafane. The serpent was twined loosely around an elaborate staff that Rassilon carried with him everywhere as a symbol of his station. “James, you know I support your wishes, but this is a part of your royal responsibilities. You’re a public figure, and you’ve been away for so long people are starting to worry about you.”

“But you’re the one in charge, why would anyone care about me?” It was still a strange feeling. Before the death of his father and older brother, James had usually been allowed to do as he pleased. Sure, people joked about him being the charming prince compared to John, but for the most part he was left alone. Now everything was on his shoulders, and James just wasn’t ready.

His uncle tutted for a moment and steepled his fingers. “You’re the future King, for one thing, James. After your trip is over, we’ll have the coronation and you will rule Gallifrey. The people must get to know you, trust you.”

A hiss from Toclafane made James look over. He hated seeing the snake’s red eyes, but he held them as Toclafane spoke, “Yes, you need to be out there, kissing hands and shaking babies. Or is it the other way around?” A choking hiss that was his laughter filled the carriage, and James grimaced. His uncle’s pet had a sick sense of humor.

“Very funny, Toclafane. But he’s right you know, the people need to trust us in these trying times.” Rassilon had switched into his ruler voice, the one that begged to be listened to, but James just didn’t see the appeal.

He dropped his scroll on the carriage seat beside him and crossed his arms. He quizzed, “Gallifrey is at peace, has been since I was a child, what trying times are you talking about?”

Rassilon replied with a sympathetic frown, “While you’ve been away at school, James, the kingdom has been under siege from the inside. In your absence the Ogres have become impossible to control and some have even been caught trying to get into Arcadia.”

“Yesss,” hissed Toclafane, “even the Giantsss have become more and more treacherousss. Kidnapping children, no lessss.”

James stared at his uncle, spluttering, “But the Giants have always been peaceful, we used to invite their nobles to events at the Citadel.”

“The Ogres were peaceful too, until they ripped poor Wilfred and John to shreds. But I promised your father, should anything happen to him, I would take care of his sons, and the kingdom. It’s devastating that I couldn’t watch over your brother as well, but he died a noble death. Besides, as royalty we have a duty to Gallifrey. They rely on us to stay strong and logical no matter what we face.” Rassilon waved his hand dismissively as he continued, apparently bored with the conversation. “It’s only a day-long event, and then you can run off to Raxa-wherever to see your stars. Honestly James, couldn’t you just go to Clom instead?”

~~~~~~~

The mall opening was considered a great opportunity by everyone in the household for different reasons. Lynda was excited to go see all the new shops and meet up with her friends, and Yvonne was making Amy go pick up a catalogue from every dressmaker in the new mall for her to peruse, but Rose and Reinette had much more personal plans.

Reinette, of course, wanted to go see the prince. She spent the entire morning styling and restyling her hair, and changed her outfit four times before she deemed herself fit for public consumption. She put all of her intimate knowledge of the Prince’s interests to good use: wearing a dress that was his favourite dark blue, sticking expensive blue orchids into her hair, and even stashing a copy of what was apparently his third favourite book,  _ The Unicorn and the Wasp _ , into her purse so that a corner peeked out intriguingly. She’d avoided using his favourite book, because that would be too obvious. It was a rather perfect costume, like everything else about her, and Rose pitied the Prince if he ever got stuck in Reinette’s clutches. He was no match.

As for Rose, she went with Donna. There was no one to impress with nice clothing, so Rose settled for a robin’s egg skirt to hide her trousers and an even lighter blouse. She had stashed the banners for the day in Donna’s house, and they stopped off there before making their way to a fountain in the middle of the mall courtyard.

A crowd had already gathered. From children to full grown adults, there were buttons and posters being carried by everyone. They all stood up against the platform that had been erected expressly for the Regent and the Prince to make their address. Rose could see Reinette at the forefront of the throng, waiting patiently and flicking through the book she’d brought as though deep in thought.

Donna and Rose waited as the Regent came out to greet them. He was older than Rose had expected. Though she’d known he was the younger brother of the late King, and the youngest Prince was already a full grown man, she didn’t didn’t think he would look so much like a doting grandfather. He was charismatic too, and for once Rose could see why people would so blindly follow him. When he spoke it was with absolute assurance and strength, and Rose  _ wanted  _ to like him. If she hadn’t seen firsthand all the pain he was causing, she might have.

Even with his well chosen words, Rassilon couldn’t hold the attention of the excited fans for very long, and soon the entire crowd was chanting.  _ Doc-tor, Doc-tor, Doc-tor! _

And with a gesture from Rassilon, the Crown Prince appeared. He was so...normal, yet eccentric looking. Rather than wearing robes in a royal red, he was in a brown scholar’s robe. He clutched a scroll in one hand and waved very distractedly at the crowd, as though his mind was miles away. Now was their chance.

Rose stood, and Donna climbed up onto the edge of the fountain, and they unrolled their banners. Together they shouted above the excitement. “Say no to Ogrecide, stop the Giant land grab!” The words were so formal, and didn’t express the depths of the two girls’ fury, but Donna was taking law classes, and had said using the correct terms was important and was more likely to get them noticed than just shouting names. So they stuck with it. “Say no to Ogrecide! Stop the Giant land grab!”

They definitely got noticed. Rose could have sworn the Prince looked straight at her before her banner was yanked out of her hands. Reinette threw the cloth on the ground, “What are you doing? You’re embarrassing me!” Suddenly her face went very calm, “Leave town, now.”

So Rose did, begging Donna’s forgiveness even as she backed out of the courtyard. She could hear the screams of fans die down for a moment as she left town, and then they grew louder than ever. Rose ran just to get away from the noise, and once she’d reached edge of the housing district, the zinging force that had been moving her feet faded away. Her task was done, and Rose was now free to return to Donna and apologize properly.

She was digging in her purse to see if she had enough coins for something to eat when a hand grabbed her own and tugged. Rose looked up to see sparkling brown eyes and wild hair, and the Prince whispered, “Run.”

Together they dashed along the road until they came to the bridge, and then he climbed down underneath it and pulled her into his lap. “Shh, Shh, Shh!” He covered her mouth with his other hand and wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her still. The former wasn’t needed, as Rose’s spine was tingling with the command of silence. Rose resisted the urge to bite him as she listened to a mob of screaming girls pass overhead. He was hiding.

Once the sounds had faded away and Prince James still hadn’t let her go, Rose elbowed him in the stomach. The air whooshed out of him and he released her, letting her clamber to her feet and straighten her skirt, which had nearly come unstrapped. The outfit worked for everyday work, but it wasn’t made to handle the stress of being thrown around; that was usually when Rose took it off. That was the last thing she needed--the Crown Prince to see her in men’s clothes. Not that he wasn’t strangely dressed as well, even though he no longer wore the robe. Up close, he was wearing normal trousers, but he had a cloth vest on over his shirt. It was slightly redundant for a man who didn’t need the protection.

Rose tried to fix her wavy hair by tucking it behind her ears as she spit out, “Your Highness.”

Why did it have to be him? It might’ve actually been nice to be literally swept off her feet by a handsome stranger, if he weren’t such a royal git. It wasn’t as though men regularly spent any amount of time with Rose, though that might be partly due to her always being escorted by family, or quite simply because of her temper. Donna had mentioned it at least a thousand times, “You’ll never find anyone to spend your life with if you keep chasing them off! Last time a guy so much as winked at you, you interrogated him about segregation laws! Maybe ease into that a little more, don’t you think?”

But Rose couldn’t help it. Why would she waste her time on anyone who either didn’t understand what was going on in the kingdom, or didn’t care? Admittedly, she might’ve been a bit harsh to that student, but if he couldn’t handle her at her grumpiest, then he didn’t deserve her at her best.

The Prince had been staring at her the entire time she was lost in thought, and when she snapped her eyes to his, he jumped back. See? He was just like the others, loved to stare, didn’t like to get stared at. But instead of just leaving, he wiped a hand on his trousers to brush off the dirt and stuck it out to her like he was just another commoner. “Feel free to call me James, though I must admit, you are the first girl I’ve met in a very long time that hasn’t called me Doctor.”

She left his hand hanging in the air. “Doctor?” she repeated, rolling it around. In what way was the Crown Prince a doctor?

The grin her word brought to Prince James’ face was absolutely dazzling, and Rose nearly smiled back on reflex. Charismatic, just like his uncle. “Well, it doesn’t sound so bad coming from you.” He had the audacity to look surprised at his own flirtatiousness, and it only lit a fire in Rose.

“Well, it was less than pleasant to meet you, Your Highness, so I’m going to leave now. And I’ve no intention of curtseying either, so just forget it.” That pompous, flirty little git! Running around and dragging girls to the ground.

Rose turned on her heel and stomped back up onto the road, ignoring the sound of his footsteps scrambling to follow her. When he caught up, he actually kept a good half foot behind her. It was like he didn’t know how to be royalty. Proper custom demanded that he walk ahead of Rose at all times, unless he was personally escorting her somewhere, and even then they were to be level. A prince didn’t walk behind a nobleman’s daughter.

He was rambling to boot in a nearly manic fashion, “Never thought I’d prefer the name Doctor, but here we are. You can curtsey or not, that’s your choice. There’s really nothing I can do about it, except for have you beheaded, only that seems a bit extreme.”

Was he making a joke? Rose held back a snort, “Was that supposed to sound impressive?”

“Sort of? Possibly?” When Rose chanced a glance back at him, he was rubbing his hand through already messy hair and making it stick up in all directions before ruffling it back down to its proper spot again. It was kind of, dare Rose even think it, cute.

Just the idea that she would think a member of the royal family cute made Rose angry again, this time at herself. It was easy to lash out at the Prince though. “Prince James, why don’t you run off back to your guards and do what your family usually does? Steal innocent people’s land, and destroy their livelihoods?”

All the people Rose knew and cared about in the Gamma Forest, and probably forests all over Gallifrey, and she had the nerve to think a member of the royal family cute? After everything they’d done? Rose was disgusted by herself, and all she wanted now was to go find Donna and forget today ever happened.

“Wait a second!” James sounded almost distressed, and Rose liked to think she might have stopped even if she hadn’t been forced. That thought was quickly chased away by his next command. “Come back here.”

Rose turned around and dutifully walked back to stand in front of the Prince. She had met some pushy people before, namely Reinette and Yvonne, but this was the most orders she’d had to follow in one conversation in years.

Her steps took her farther than she intended, and when James tilted his head down to her, their faces were very close. “What is your name?” he asked. His voice had become a low rumble, and against Rose’s better judgement, she gave him an honest answer.

“Rose Tyler, of Powell.”

She could have sworn he leaned in even further, “Well, Rose of Powell. You’re the first maiden I’ve met who hasn’t swooned at the sight of me.”

He looked pleased for some reason. This poor, deluded Prince. “Maybe I’ve done you some good then.” Again, she tried to walk away.

More footsteps, why wouldn’t he just give up? “Look, I’ve never stolen anyone’s land or livelihood. I want peace in the kingdom as much as anyone else!”

Now Rose didn’t bother to hide her scoff. “Don’t you mean  _ your  _ kingdom? Are you saying you have a new plan to put in effect once you’re finally King?”

It was obvious this was the last thing he’d expected her to ask. He stuttered and fumbled for something to say until Rose gave up on him. “That’s what I thought, you’re exactly like they say. Gone from the kingdom for years, hiding from any kind of responsibility. You have a duty to make a stand, to say no. You should have the guts to do what’s right and instead you’re just running away!”

That was not what she’d meant to say. That was way out of line. Oh god, what’d she done? Rose backed up a step and lowered her eyes to the ground, “Your Highness, I’m s—”

“No, you don’t have to apologize. I suppose every subject is entitled to their opinions. Though, I have to admit that for some reason I find your obvious disdain for me a bit refreshing. Few people have the courage to tell me what they really think.” Rose found herself just as surprised as him.

She peeked up at him to find him once again staring at her. Trying for a little humor, she said, “A proper prince really would have me beheaded for saying such treasonous things.”

He grinned again, even more brilliantly than before. “Well, I think we can avoid that, just this once. As you’ve already pointed out, I am  _ not  _ a proper prince.”

He wasn’t angry at her, when he had every right to be, and so far he hadn’t said anything actually demeaning to her. That was already a step up from Reinette. It was hard not to respect someone who actually let Rose speak her mind, but with all she knew, surely he didn’t deserve it. Things were getting too confusing. “Look, Your Highness, I really would like to be getting home.” Going back to the town felt more unpleasant by the moment, especially if Rose happened to see Reinette again.

Prince James’ smile faded a little, and Rose distracted herself from it by reaching to adjust her purse. It wasn’t there. How long had she been without it? It’d been on her shoulder when she’d headed back toward town, and then…

Rose sighed heavily, “I left my purse by the bridge.” She’d barely gotten a step forward when James put up his hands, narrowly missing Rose’s chest.

“Wait there, I’ll get it for you.” He didn’t wait for a response and jogged off, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t wander off!”

Of course she wouldn’t. Rose couldn’t move her feet. At least this order was made out of an attempt at chivalry. Rose waited, listening for the telltale sound of his footsteps returning with her bag. After a minute or two, she instead heard hoofbeats. Fast ones.

Unable to properly turn around with her feet stuck to the ground, Rose twisted to look over her shoulder. A wagon was coming toward her at top speed, and the man driving showed no signs of slowing down for her. “Wait!” she shouted, but the driver only whipped his horses faster. “Stop! I can’t move!” He wasn’t listening, or if he was he didn’t care.

Rose’s curse wasn’t supposed to be able to cause her death, right? No order could directly put her in harm’s way. But she hadn’t been told to get hit by a wagon, she’d been told to stay still. Apparently it was indirect enough to get her killed.

She yanked at her feet, to no avail. Finally she started calling out, “Your Highness! Doctor!” There was no sign of him, and the wagon was too close anyway. Rose closed her eyes and braced for impact. With one last breath she whispered, “Help me.”

The heat of the charging horses’ breath hit the back of her neck, and suddenly Rose was tackled to the grass on the side of the road. The rather light weight that had slammed into her curled around her protectively as Rose tried to catch her breath. She wasn’t dead.

When the urge to cry out of sheer relief had passed, Rose lifted her head from the arm that had cushioned its fall. There was another arm clutching at her waist, and Rose pushed at it until it let go. She turned over and came face to face with James.

He looked terrified. “What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you move?” Although their position together was horribly intimate, Rose was a little too shaky to get up.

It wasn’t like she could explain, and Rose stumbled as she tried to come up with a good answer. “I—well, I-I would have. But, you told me not to wander off?” It was pathetic, as excuses went, but to Rose’s surprise the skinny man just burst out laughing and fell onto his back, seemingly not caring about grass stains on his royal clothing.

“First the name, and now this,” he muttered, before raising his voice to a proper tone and looking over at Rose. His head was framed by slightly crumpled wildflowers, and he looked like a dream character. “You are the first person to ever listen to me when I told them not to wander off, and I find myself wishing you hadn’t. Please, don’t hesitate to ignore me next time I tell you to stay still, if you think it’ll keep you from getting run over or otherwise harmed.”

Rose felt her face crack into a smile as well, and she let herself fall backwards into the flowers next to him. As her arm hit the ground, her hand landed on top of his, but he didn’t seem to mind it so she left it there as she replied. “Next time? What makes you think we’ll meet again?” She didn’t mean it to be snarky, and thankfully it didn’t sound like James had taken it that way.

Apparently not seeing how outrageously inappropriate and presumptuous it was, James took Rose’s hand and threaded their fingers together. Lifting their joined hands up so he could look at them, he replied decisively, “Rose of Powell, you are far too fascinating a human being for me to manage not seeing you for the rest of my life. Whether or not we intend it, I  _ will  _ meet you again.”

Rose didn’t get a chance to reply, as a very unladylike shriek cut through the air. “Rose! What do you think you’re doing?” Jerking up into a sitting position, Rose watched Reinette stride down the road toward them, Lynda prancing along behind her. She had maintained composure in her body at least, if not her voice. James still hadn’t let go of her hand, the idiot, and Rose yanked away from him like he’d burned her.

She rose to her feet, only to find that the strap keeping her skirt up had slipped and, though James clearly hadn’t noticed, to any passerby it looked like Rose was half undressed. Slipping the strap back into place, if only to hide her trousers, Rose’s gaze jumped frantically between the prince staring dazedly up at her from the ground and her stepsister who looked like she was ready to spit fire.

“Come here.” Reinette’s perfect voice was back, but it didn’t keep the chills or the sparks from running down Rose’s spine. This was not going to be pleasant.

Her back straightened forcibly, and Rose trudged over to meet Reinette, thankfully off the opposite side of the road. Reinette’s attempt to keep her voice down was thin at best. “You are an absolute disgrace. Just wait until Mother hears about this. Now, go back to the mall with Lynda and stay there until I come to retreive you. Clearly you cannot be left to your own devices.”

At the familiar and infuriating zing that shoved Rose toward the buildings rising up in the distance, Rose tried to summon some fire of her own, something to say that would chip at Reinette’s uncrackable cold heart. But nothing would come.

She’d just reached Lynda’s side when another voice yelled, “Rose, wait!” For once, Rose was grateful of a new command, because it cancelled out Reinette’s.

James came into her view, and she allowed herself a moment to appreciate the kindness on his face. His brown eyes were warm, and there was a hint of a smile waiting in the corner of his thin mouth. He held up a brown bag, “Your purse.” When Rose took it gratefully, he moved his now free hand to her shoulder and lowered his voice. “Rose, I thought you wanted to go home, not to town?”

He’d remembered? She’d barely mentioned it, but it was more true than ever. If she could just get to her room and block her ears up with cotton or something she could avoid being forced to answer the door or listening to Reinette’s demeaning lectures and her stepmother’s spiteful tirades for a few hours. Feeling suddenly quite small, Rose nodded.

James gave his own nod, “Then, please, feel free to go home. I’ll talk to your…sister, I’m assuming? I’ll make sure you don’t get any grief about this, and I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.”

He kept saying that. ‘Feel free’. Rose would give anything to feel actually free, but it was nice that he gave her a choice. She turned her body homeward, and tried to give him a smile. She must’ve failed at looking properly happy, because he reached for her arm again. “Oh, and one more thing. I really would like if you called me ‘Doctor’. It sounds so much nicer when you say it.”

Now Rose had no trouble smiling. “Of course, and thank you Doctor, for everything.”

~~~~~~~

Rose’s sister was...interesting. She’d been perfectly pleasant and accommodating as James explained why he’d been caught in such an intimate situation with Rose, and had agreed wholeheartedly when he told her he’d suggested Rose go home instead. Not to mention, she was absolutely stunning. Honey blonde curls hung in perfect spirals down her petite neck, and she was wearing a dress of his favourite shade of blue.

But something felt wrong. There was a hardness in her eyes, hidden under all her gentle breeding and sweet words. She was the opposite of Rose, who carried herself with so much tension it’d been like watching a sunrise when she’d finally given him a genuine smile. And everything Reinette said was so…proper. She called him by his correct title, and avoided looking him in the eye. For all that Rose had said he wasn’t a decent prince, she’d had no trouble keeping eye contact for most of the time they spoke. It’d been brilliant, getting to see her emotions flicking across her face and watching her eyes burn with feeling.

He worried about her. As kind as Reinette was being to him, her tone with Rose had been nothing short of degrading. That, combined with the occasional batting of Reinette’s eyelashes suggested he was once again in the company of a woman who was interested in him. She was much more sneaky about it than James was used to, he’d give her that. If she felt threatened by Rose, it might be best to lay the charm on a little thick. Giving someone false hope was slightly cruel, but James hated to think he might be the cause of Rose’s harassment.

It was a stupid idea, but bowing and kissing Reinette’s hand didn’t seem to be doing the trick. He’d even noticed the book she had peeking out of her bag. Really, as if he hadn’t seen the list of his ‘favourite’ books that was published in  _ Medieval Teen _ every month. He’d only read that one once. Still, he’d hummed appreciatively and pulled it out to look at, praising Reinette for her taste in books. But empty flirting wasn’t getting him the results he needed, if Rose was to be spared. Reinette hadn’t even blushed when he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

So he’d invited her to the coronation ball. He’d planned to send one to Rose once he’d met back up with his uncle before his trip, but now James could only hope Reinette would bring her entire family.

He would love to see Rose at the ball. She already looked beautiful in her practical skirt and blouse, but he could imagine her waltzing around a ballroom in something nearly as elegant as she was, hopefully with him.

When Reinette had finally sauntered away, humming the tune that’d been listed as his second favourite that month, James began his trip back to town. As much as he tried to think of other things, Rose was stuck in his mind.

She’d been so forceful, and sure of herself. She’d told him off, and every word of it was true! Of course he’d been hiding at school, and there was no way he had a plan for once he became king. How could he? He’d never been taught to!

For the first 18 years of his life, James had lived with almost no expectations. John was the Crown Prince, and he was the one who’d been raised for the throne. He was the soldier, the diplomat, the leader. He could make all the hard decisions that a king would have to make.

All that time, and James had been left to his own thoughts and interests. He’d spent his days riding, reading, writing, and roaming the countryside. His only plans were ones of travelling the world and going to school and learning everything there was to learn, and eventually marrying someone pretty and nice and settling down to have a few children for the sake of his family’s name.

Then he’d lost everything in a single Ogre raid. It’d come out of nowhere, or so James had thought, but after the funeral Rassilon had explained everything in great detail. How the Ogres had been planning a rebellion for years, just waiting for the chance to attack. If James had been with the hunting party, hadn’t been studying in the library of the Citadel, he too would be dead. It was pure chance that James was still alive, and now suddenly the weight of Gallifrey rested on his shoulders.

Suddenly he was to be king, to take the place of his father and his brother and rule a country he barely understood. He’d balked, come up with an excuse to leave, and Rassilon had graciously let him.

Rose had seen right through him. How? Unless she too had something to hide. What could that possibly be? How could someone so lovely and headstrong and clever have any kind of secret that would give her such insight into James’ psyche?

James burned with the need to learn more about her, everything in fact. Forget propriety, he would send her a personal invitation to the ball as well. Now he only had to wait two months to see her again. He wasn’t sure he would survive it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully we get a little more interesting stuff in the next chapter. Thanks for your support guys, and be sure to let me know how you think things are going in the comments! <3


	5. Theivery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You lot put up with so much from me. I can't believe it took me this long to write something this short. I hope it's good anyway. <3
> 
> Unbeta'd: All ridiculous mistakes are mine.

Trouble had been brewing since the day of the mall opening, but it wasn’t until a week later that the pot finally bubbled over. When Reinette had returned home with a verbal invitation from James to attend the coronation ball, Rose hoped he knew what he was getting into. To her surprise, Reinette was so pleased she forgot all about punishing or exposing Rose’s supposed impropriety.

That was, until the letters arrived. The first was for Reinette. A cordial invitation for her entire family to attend the ball and even stay within the Citadel. It was signed by the Prince himself, and Lynda had squealed in excitement over the prospect of living in the Citadel’s tall spires and wandering its halls like a member of royalty. If Reinette got her way, maybe one day Lynda would be.

The other was for Rose. She never got the chance to see it, and only knew what it looked like from Amy’s description afterwards. It was also an invitation, but handwritten, with a personal note that Amy didn’t get a chance to read. She did know that it was signed,  _ The Doctor  _ .

Rose wasn’t home when it was delivered. She went to the mall with Donna to do some actual shopping, hoping to find a welcome home gift for her father. He would be back in just two months, and his previous letters had suggested he would have good news for Rose. Maybe he could end his charade of a marriage and they could be like before. A smaller family, but happier.

As was becoming more and more common, Donna was pushing. Lately her line of questioning had begun to veer towards the heart of Rose’s problem. Why was she doing everything Reinette told her? Donna had suggested at least a thousand ways to get back at Reinette, or to skew her requests into something awful, but Rose could never do any of them. It was as frustrating for her as it was for Donna, but there was nothing to be done. Rose was cursed, and she would have to learn to live with it.

“But why do you do whatever she says? Even silly, teeny tiny things that you could easily just ignore, you do anyways. If I was you I’d have driven her out of the house by now,” Donna said. They’d wandered through three different shops by then, and nothing had popped out to either of them. Donna was nearly as eager to see Pete return as Rose was, if only because it might lessen Rose’s ill-treatment. Besides, she’d always been close with Rose’s family, even after Jackie’s death.

Rose was tired of fending off questions and couldn’t help being a little snippy. “You know I can’t afford to fight her, Donna. That blonde brat holds my father’s land and my financial security in the palm of her hand and she knows it. One word from her could get me thrown out of my home.”

Losing interest in the small paintings they’d been browsing through, Donna stared Rose down. “Then at least tell me why you’re acting weirder than usual around her lately? You’re jumpier than a hare!”

It was a touchy subject, and Rose had to chose her words carefully. “I think Reinette is more aware of how much power she has over me now. She’s been getting much more controlling lately, especially after…”

“After what?” Donna’s voice had hardened suspiciously.

Rose hadn’t told her about meeting the Prince, and she didn’t quite know why. It was awful of her to have kept it from her best friend, but she just...did. Now that Donna was on the trail of it though, Rose wouldn’t be able to hide it.

Feigning serious interest in a mundane painting of some daisies, Rose offered in a higher pitch than usual, “After I met the Prince.”

Donna’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. You met the Prince? When was this? Wait, was he as skinny as he looked up on that platform? Lord, he looks like he’d give you a papercut if you hugged him. You didn’t hug him did you?”

Memories of James tackling Rose to the ground, then nearly refusing to let go of her, made Rose’s cheeks blaze. “Um, yeah I did, meet him, I mean! Last week, right after I left the mall opening. You’re right, he is really skinny, but I dunno, it kind of suits him? And uh, technically no.”

“Oh my god, what’s that supposed to mean? I can’t believe you waited so long to tell me, what kind of friend are you? I hope you gave him a piece of your mind inbetween all the flirting.”

A good chat was in order, and Donna pulled Rose out of the shop and down to the food court to get food and talk. The whole way there, Rose tried to describe the abnormality of her meeting. It wasn’t like she could explain the real reason why she’d nearly let a charging wagon trample her.

They were standing in line at one of the food booths when Rose saw two familiar blonde heads making their way through the crowd. Forgetting her appetite, Rose tugged on Donna’s arm. Something felt very wrong. “She’s coming! Donna, I really don’t want to see her right now, not in front of all these people!”

Donna jumped into action, pulling Rose away from the crowd and down to the much more sparsely populated storefronts. All the while she muttered, “I swear, you’d better explain this to me sometime because it’s ridiculous to hide you from someone and not even know why!”

As they looked for a decent hiding spot for Rose, Reinette exited the throng of people waiting to get seasoned mutton. “Oh, Rose!”

The timbre of her voice sent shivers down Rose’s whole body. Much like she had when standing in front of the speeding wagon, Rose closed her eyes and braced herself. Only there was no Doctor to save her this time.

“Come here.” The finality of the command was different from usual. No less cruel, but so completely sure that Rose would obey.

Rose’s head dropped and her shoulders straightened. The best she could manage was, “I have to go, I’m sorry” thrown over her shoulder as she trudged to Reinette’s side.

Lynda was hovering behind Reinette’s shoulder, playing with a pigtail braid and completely failing at hiding her excitement. “Rose! You got a letter from—”

Reinette threw up a hand, silencing her sister as easily as her own words could silence Rose. “Follow me.” She was determined, strutting over to the potions shop with purpose.

At the very least, Rose could control her own mouth. For now. “Reinette, we’re all stocked up on potions, I don’t see what you—”

“Take that.” Reinette raised a delicate finger and pointed to a hair growth potion sitting on a display rack outside the shop window. Rose couldn’t even think of a response before her hand reached out and snatched it, stuffing it into her purse.

Lynda gasped, “Oh my god, Rose. Why’d you do that?” How Rose wished she’d told her to put it back. There wasn’t a good explanation for this.

It turned out Rose didn’t need one, as Reinette just smiled, her eyes hard. Crossing her arms happily, she said, “Because I told her to. Now Rose, grab those as well.” This time it was lavender soap bars, the same colour as Lynda’s shawl, another word and it was a bag of expensive tea leaves. All were scooped up and shoved down into her nearly full purse.

“Enough! That’s enough, just stop this! You’ve made your point.” Rose tried not to shout. So far they hadn’t been noticed, even with guards stationed just a couple dozen feet away. If they would just leave her alone she could put the items away and no one had to know.

It was like a nightmare. Out of all the people in Rose’s life to find out about her curse, Reinette had to be the worst. Lynda would have cooed over it and then never brought it up again. Donna would have tried to help Rose break it, and beat anyone who tried to order her around over the head. Her father would probably have a mental breakdown, but at least she knew he’d never hold it over her. Hell, even her stepmother would only force her to work as a slave in her own home for the rest of her life.

Reinette was the only one who would do  _ this _ . Make Rose break the law and thereby ruin her father’s reputation.

Rose had broken the law before. Many times. Stealing food, releasing prisoners, destroying weapons. All under the guise of the Bad Wolf. That was different. The things she did as the Bad Wolf were only ever to help those who needed it. She fed starving families who lived too far for Rose to bring them food from her own home. She released Ogres and Elves who were imprisoned just for being alive and were on their way to jail for the rest of their lives, or worse. She broke the chains on Giants ankles and snapped bows and threw swords into pits of quicksand. None of it could ever be traced back to Rose, or her father.

This could. Something had pushed Reinette past the point of reason. Something about a letter? A letter from whom? Her father was the only one who sent Rose mail, and it’d never bothered Reinette before.

There wasn’t time to think on it, because Reinette’s bright blue eyes were glittering and she tilted her head ever so slightly. From an outsider’s perspective, she looked like the perfect nobleman’s daughter, having a chat with some friends.

“I don’t think I have, Rose. Not just yet. I need one more thing.” She’d planned this. She had to, the way she turned on the spot and threw up an arm. What she was pointing at couldn’t be more clear. A pair of glass slippers, hanging in a decorative cage just outside the magical trinkets store. Right behind the guards. “Take those.”

Rose’s feet were moving, however much Rose tried to stop them, to slow them down. She walked backwards, pleading, “Please. I don’t know what I did, but please, don’t make me do this. Anything else, Reinette.” Her shoes dragged in the dust, sending little puffs up to the hem of her skirt.

The idea of mercy was apparently funny to Reinette, and she giggled politely. “Oh, well, since you said please...no. Take them.” The reinforcement spun Rose around to face the shoes, and even though she grabbed her own wrist to hold it still, it wasn’t enough. With a last jerk, Rose lifted the heels from their place and began trying to bury them in her purse. She already had too much in it, and the slippers wouldn’t fit all the way.

To put the last nail in Rose’s coffin, Reinette raised her voice, “Guards! Thief!” The heads of the men in suits of armour twisted to look at Rose, still pushing the soles of the slippers further into her purse.

She was ready to give up, to let them take her. If she didn’t resist, maybe they would be lenient. But it was too much for Lynda, and maybe Reinette planned it that way, because in a trembling voice Rose’s younger stepsister shouted, “Run, Rose!”

And Rose did.

Down the walkway, across the courtyard, up and then down a set of stairs. Her purse full of stolen goods thumped heavily against her thigh, but it didn’t stop her from vaulting a low fence and ducking under a massive growth of lilac bushes. Of all the things Reinette had probably planned for this punishment, Rose was sure she wasn’t supposed to have gotten away. Once the coast was clear, Rose snuck through a back alley and away from the town. The more distance she put between herself and Lynda, the weaker the urge to run became. Physical exertion commands like this usually faded with distance, rather than time.

Rose had two options. Continue running, never look back, and become a wanted criminal under both her names while ruining her father’s reputation in the process, or turn herself in, return the items, and face the consequences.

If she was going to turn herself in, she would do it her way. First, Rose emptied her purse into the grass and hid her actual belongings; her wallet, a couple sheets of paper for lists, two small hunting daggers for protection, and a hair tie, under a small bush. To that stash she added her magicked pouches, and the thin blade she always hid in her boot. Then, replacing the stolen items in her bag, she circled around to the front of the mall. The guards there didn’t yet know about her indiscretion, so Rose tapped one on the shoulder and said she had information on a known thief. This got her escorted to the guards station not only discreetly, but politely. At least this way she wouldn’t suffer any more public humiliation.

The short trip through the walkways of the mall was an interesting experience. Most people thought nothing of a young lady being led through the crowd, they probably assumed she was lost or filing a complaint, but the ones who had seen Rose’s fiasco just a quarter of an hour earlier stared openly in either surprise or distaste. The younger people showed more of the former, and the older crowd was overwhelmingly the latter. Still, it was better than being dragged through the streets in handcuffs.

Along the way, Rose tried to think through what had angered Reinette so much. Her stepsister could be cruel when she wanted, but she’d never seemed so incensed before. Who could have sent that letter?

The only other person Rose knew outside of Powell who could have written to her was—oh.  _ Oh no.  _ That softhearted fool. She’d gotten a letter from the Prince? It seemed so ridiculous; how could Rose have had such an effect on the heir to the throne of Gallifrey? But that had to be it. Nothing else would upset Reinette so much.

So it was the Prince’s fault Rose was about to be arrested. Granted, she was walking right into it, but still! What was he thinking?

By the time they’d reached the station, Rose was furious. Surely James had noticed how obsessed Reinette was with him, so how could he possibly think it was a good idea to send Rose a letter? And what reason would he ever have for doing so? Maybe he wanted her to pay to get his clothing cleaned after he dirtied it saving her life. Or perhaps he rethought his feelings on her blunt opinion and actually did want to punish her. Well, unless he planned to behead her, this was punishment enough.

The small stone office felt even smaller when Rose stepped inside and saw at least ten armed guards lining the walls or sitting in rigid wooden chairs. The air was dry and hot, with only one small window to let in the cool breeze from outside. Rose’s skin began to crawl at the thought of being stuck in one of the tiny straw lined cells she could see through an open door leading to a back room for any amount of time.

She was nudged surprisingly gently up to the counter, where a man in a red cloak already stood speaking to a surly looking clerk. A royal guard. The kind that were controlled by the Regent, who tortured Ogres and Elves for the fun of it. The kind that Rose had messed with regularly. Surely he wouldn’t recognize her without her usual Bad Wolf clothing, right? A heavy cloak had always covered her face, and she never wore a skirt in their vicinity. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a man most of the time. So she was safe, right?

Rose’s stomach tied itself in knots as she stepped up next to the man, but he didn’t look familiar to her, and she was nearly embarrassed to admit that he was kind of beautiful for a heartless killer. Even from the side she could see his blue eyes were sparkling, and the smirk he was flashing the clerk was so flirtatious it was almost indecent. Both of those attributes swung around to Rose as soon as she carefully placed her purse on the counter, and any distrust Rose had for the man flew out the tiny window behind her, replaced by a warm fuzzy feeling in her gut.

“Why hello. My name is Captain Jack Harkness, and now that I’ve told you mine, you simply have to tell me yours.” He swooped Rose’s free hand into his own and planted a kiss just a little high above her knuckles to be appropriate. Rose’s face heated, but when he saw her blush, he just winked.

He was more charming than any other guard Rose had ever met, but she was there for a reason, and once Captain Jack learned it his niceties would probably go sour. Instead of replying properly to him, Rose slowly pulled her hand away to smooth down the flyaways in her short braid and focused on the clerk. The plain young man looked distinctly put out at losing Jack’s attention, but he listened dutifully to Rose as she stated. “My name is Rose Tyler. I’m here to turn myself in.”

To her side, Captain Jack chuckled, “What could a pretty thing like you have possibly done to turn yourself in for?” Rose spared a glance at him, already feeling a little annoyed at his dismissal, but he looked genuinely confused. When he caught her eye he continued, “You said your name was Rose, right? Why does that sound familiar?”

It shouldn’t have, Rose had never met any other Royal Guards under her real name. Again, she directed her words at the clerk. “I’m turning myself in for thievery. I have the stolen items here to return.”

She gestured at her purse, and the clerk’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. When he waved his hand toward it, Rose began removing the ridiculous loot piece by piece, in the order that she’d taken them. After the last small trinket, Jack laughed. “I hardly think this is worth all the solemnity you’re giving it, Rose. Just pay for your goods and be on your way.”

Rose ignored him in favor of pulling out the glass slippers as a pair, careful not to clink them together or cause any damage. When she set them down, a stray beam of light from the window shone over her shoulder and they positively glittered. They were still perfect, not a scratch on them. It was one of the few pieces of luck Rose had experienced in her life.

After a moment of silence, Jack let out a low whistle. “I take it back. Definitely worth the solemnity.” The clerk stood and beckoned to a guard, but when a bulky man wandered over to put Rose in restraints, Jack put up a hand to pause them. “Rose, why would you take those? For that matter, why would you bring them back?”

Shame burned Rose’s eyes for a moment, and she stared at the ground. Even if she hadn’t wanted to, she still committed the crime. The guard lost patience and grabbed her hands, yanking them behind her back and shackling them together with cold iron clasps. When she was sure she wouldn’t cry, Rose lifted her head. “I didn’t mean to take them. And it was the right thing to do.”

Jack looked positively bewildered, but as Rose was shoved toward the back door, he called out, “Rose? As in Rose of Powell? As in the Doctor’s Rose?”

Rose tried to twist to look at him. He knew the Doctor? What did he mean ‘The Doctor’s Rose’? It was too late to say anything, as the heavy wooden door banged shut. She could hear loud voices outside, but her guard kept pushing her further down a dark hall and soon they faded.

The straw lined cells that had looked so unpleasant to Rose, the guard was happy to explain, were in fact holding cells for minor disruptions or petty theft. People like Rose, who not only stole items of high value, but ran from the scene, were taken downstairs to wait for processing. These chambers were downright disgusting. Though the mall was barely a week old, the three small rooms all smelled like something had died in them, and there wasn’t even a bench to sit on, just a bucket in the far corner and a blanket that looked nearly molded to the floor.

Rose stood at the door for three hours until Amy came to get her. Her bail was paid, and by some miracle the whole thing had been swept under the rug. When they got back up to the main room, the same clerk from before handed Rose a note.

_ Rosie, consider this a thank you for fixing the Doc’s head. Sorry if you had to wait long, they said a family member had to get you out. _

_ -Jack _

While her father’s good name was still intact, the rider sent to inform Rose’s family about her detainment had found Yvonne first, not Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was alright, and I hope to upload in much less time than the last chapter took. Anyway, if you have any suggestions or observations, please let me know! I'm dying to hear from you all.


	6. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I literally cannot apologize enough for how long this is taking me. Apparently I've just lost all focus and now I'm bouncing around a bunch of different fics and-you probably don't want to know this.  
> 

“A felon! In my own family! I could die from embarrassment.” Yvonne was leaning against the mantle in the living room, gesturing with wide sweeps of her feather bottomed parasol. Why she had it in the house, Rose didn’t know, but she certainly painted a dramatic picture with it.

Amy put her hands on Rose’s shoulder. “The Captain that Rose met made sure nothing went on record. Rose isn’t a felon!” Her gentle squeezes comforted Rose only until her stepmother spoke again.

With another swish of her feather, Yvonne crossed her arms and threw daggers with her eyes at Rose. “Oh, she met a Captain did she? First trifling with the Crown Prince, now seducing a Captain. You’ve quite the way with men, haven’t you? Wouldn’t know it to look at you, with your cheap blonde hair and hideous clothing. You are a disgrace!”

Now Amy was trembling with fury. “Maybe she was put up to it!” She snapped her head to the side to watch Reinette coming down the stairs with Lynda, changed into their house dresses.

At Amy’s words, Reinette’s face drooped into a perfect pout. “Amy’s right Mother, it really wasn’t Rose’s fault. At least, not entirely. She was goaded into it.” She descended the staircase like she’d just won a prize, and Rose followed her wandering gaze out the window by the front door. The angle was wrong, and she couldn’t see anything but the wildflowers by the front gate.

Reinette stopped at Rose’s side and leaned in when Yvonne turned her back for another frantic shake of that hideous black feather. “Tell her I’m right and it was Donna!” she hissed.

“She’s right, it was—” Rose slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the name. No. It wasn’t fair!

Yvonne wouldn’t have it. “It was who? Tell me right now!”

Her hand forced its way away from Rose’s lips, and she whispered, “Donna.”

Another swish, and Rose wanted little more than to snap the stupid parasol in half. Yvonne had just opened her mouth to speak, disgust already evident in her eyes, when there was a knock at the door. Yvonne and Rose looked out the window in tandem. Of course, sweet Donna was standing on the front step, clutching a brown package in her hand.

“How dare she come here now? That awful brat! Answer the door, and tell her you never want to see her again.” The order hit Rose like a punch to the stomach and she stumbled backward. Amy caught her, holding her arms still, but Rose’s feet were still moving.

Amy shook her head, holding Rose tight. “No. I won’t let you make her do this. This isn’t right!”

Rose clung to her sleeve, and her voice broke halfway through the first word, “Plea—”

“Don’t argue, just do it!” Rose’s feet spun toward the door and she was pulled from Amy’s grasp.

Just before Rose reached for the handle, Reinette called out. “Rose, wait.” For one blissful moment, Rose believed her stepsister would take pity on her. It was a wasted moment. “If she tries to protest, just tell her you could never be friends with such a loudmouthed cow.”

The required words were stinging Rose’s tongue as she slowly opened the door. There wasn’t time to say them before she was pulled into a rib crushing hug. Chirpy and excited Donna said, “Thank goodness you’re alright! I don’t know where you went off to, but I heard this was all this commotion at one of the shops, and I was worried!” Quickly she shoved the brown package into Rose’s hand, seemingly oblivious to the terror on Rose’s face. “Here, I finally found something for your dad. Go ahead and give it to him when he gets here, don’t even think about mentioning me. I’ll just find another gift. It’s this little book about—wait. Hold on, Rose, what’s wrong?”

Tears had begun to spill down Rose’s cheeks, and something was caught in her throat. She wouldn’t have been able to get the words out if they weren’t being forced from her. “I never want to see you again.” Silently she begged Donna to just leave, or stare in shock, or hit her. But that wasn’t Donna’s way.

“Ha, ha, very funny. Rose, seriously, what happened?” Rose couldn’t hold back a sob, and the faint smile on Donna’s face dropped away. “I—I don’t understand. You’re my best friend.”

It took a jagged breath for Rose to get the response past her lips, and she wished she could just choke on it. “I could never be friends with such a loudmouthed cow.”

Rose watched the words cut Donna to the core, saw the sparkle in her eyes go out and dropped her head when they began glittering with something much more pained. “I—please, just go.”

Running up the stairs and locking the door wasn’t enough, would never be enough. Rose cried until her head hurt, and then she cried more.

Donna was all she had left. Pete was gone, Jackie was gone, and now Donna. Amy was the only person who even knew about Rose’s curse, but she had her own job to do. Though she knew it didn’t make sense, it felt as though the curse had taken them all away. She never would have driven Donna away, and she could have told her father how awful Yvonne and Reinette were, and...maybe if Rose hadn’t been so obedient something could have been done differently and Rose’s mother wouldn’t have gotten sick. If she’d had a different gift, she might have been able to help.

There had to be a way to fix it. Something Rose could do to break the curse. Idris was gone when her mother and Amy had tried to find her, but Rose had never actually tried. What if there was some rule that only Rose could find Idris and get to her to take back the curse? Ridiculous fairy rules got Rose into this mess, they would get her out of it. She had to try something. Besides, staying here wasn’t an option anymore. Reinette was dangerous; who knew what she would make Rose do next, whether she was punishing her for something else, or just because she could. She’d avoided the thought of running away for so long, but it was her only option now.

When her tears had finally run out, Rose let Amy in, who’d been waiting outside her door with a pile of clothing and a book. There was no need for Rose to explain her intentions because Amy had the same thoughts. She relocked the door behind her before setting the large gilded book on Rose’s pillow with undue care, and shaking out the clothing.

It was a new outfit; a fern green blouse without the frustrating flowy sleeves that caught on branches or tangled Rose’s hands, and a pair of brown trousers. They were a thick, sturdy material and couldn’t be properly hidden under a skirt, but Rose didn’t need to hide them anymore. If she couldn’t find Idris, she couldn’t come back without putting herself and people she cared about in danger.

Her mother had been wrong to prevent Rose from controlling who knew about her curse. Not being able to tell the people she cared about only meant that when Rose said awful things or committed inexplicable acts, they were left hurt and confused. Rose couldn’t let that happen again.

The last item in the pile was Rose’s cloak, but Amy pointed out the bigger on the inside pockets she’d sewn in to replace the pouches Rose normally strapped to her waist. It would be much easier to have them built in. She dug through each one to find them all prestocked. Fresh food, bandages, money. Her whole purse had been redistributed to the cloak. It was the perfect set up.

Rose went to change, but Amy stopped her. “There’s one more thing you should have, Rose. I, well I should’ve told you about this years ago, but I was embarrassed.” The redhead’s ears turned a bright red at Rose’s curiosity, and she picked the book up, holding its front against her chest and absently petting the edges of the back cover. “As you know, I sometimes struggle with my magic. I’ve only gotten good at expanding those pockets because I get a little bit of a boost if the magic is requested of me. If it’s my idea, sometimes it goes wrong…” Her freckles stood out and she fiddled with a corner of the book before pushing out the last couple words. “Anyway, uh, this book...is my boyfriend.”

Amy swung the book around in her arms, and the frame on the front that should have held a portrait or a title rippled like water before a face appeared. Floating in the inky black background was a young man’s head with light brown hair that stuck up messily, though he didn’t appear to have hands that could ruffle it, and bright icy blue eyes. Soft laugh lines around his thin mouth made Amy’s attraction to him obvious. She loved people who could make her laugh.

Were she a part of any other household, Rose might have been scared, but as it was she just laughed. It was both incredibly sad and kind of hilarious that Amy would have managed to turn her boyfriend into a book.

“Hello, Rose. Amy’s told me all about you! I’m Rory, good to meet you.” Though his smile was gentle, he glanced up at the space above his head where Amy technically was with a bit of annoyance. “Good to meet anyone at this point. You’re the first introduction I’ve had in twenty years.

Reaching forward with a tentative hand, Rose tapped the surface of Rory’s prison, face? Whatever it was, it rippled again. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Amy wrapped an arm protectively around Rory’s face and hugged him closer. “No one has, and I don’t want them to. What if they took him away? It was an accident, I swear. I was just trying a spell to trim his hair and everything went bookish!” Both girls settled properly on the bed, scooting the clothing out of the way, and Amy rested Rory against the headboard so he could see the both of them.

Again, Rory looked over at Amy, this time with a soft expression that made him look like a schoolboy. “I know she didn’t mean it, and it doesn’t matter to me what shape I’m in, so long as I’m with her.”

This time Amy’s whole face flushed red and she smacked the Rory’s spine, “Shut it, you. ‘Course you’re going to be with me.”

The love between the two of them was palpable, and before Rose saw anything she really didn’t need to see, she tried to change the subject. “You’ve been in there for twenty years, but you still look young. Is that a book thing, or what?”

“No, just me.” Rory replied, “Half-fairy, so I’m kind of immortal. Didn’t even realize it until I met Amy and she noticed that after my 25th birthday I stopped aging. Boy was that an awkward conversation to have with my dad.”

Amy looked nearly smug as she added, “We’ve been together nearly fifty years.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. “Fifty years and you’re still dating?”

“I know, I’ve asked her to marry me three times. She keeps saying she’s not ready, and it’s not like I could ever leave her. I’d wait two thousand years for her if I had to. Plus, I have no legs.” His joke was lighthearted, but it was obvious Rory wanted nothing more than to get his legs back and ask again. Amy had always been a bit skittish, and Rose had assumed that was because she wasn’t dating anyone. But she had been, and was just avoiding taking the next step.

Jumping to the change the subject herself, Amy picked Rory up and handed him to Rose. “Anyway! I want you to take him with you. Rory knows everything, so maybe he can help.”

Rory’s face lit up. “You mean we’re getting out of here? Oh, finally! There’s so many places I’ve been wanting us to visit! There’s a city that’s nearly underwater that I’m sure you would love Amy, it’s supposed to be one of the most romantic places on the planet!”

Shaking her head Amy said, “No, Rory. You’re going to go with Rose, to find her fairy godmother. I’ve got to stay here, otherwise Yvonne and Reinette will get suspicious. Rose running away is one thing, but me leaving with her looks bad. They might go looking for us.”

It didn’t feel particularly good to be in the middle of a couple’s fight, and Rose was about to tune it out so she didn’t make things awkward, when Rory said her name. “Look, I’m sure this is a little weird for you, but could you hold me at eye level with Amy?” When Rose complied, he spoke in a surprisingly commanding voice. “Amy, I’m not leaving you by yourself. It’s not going to happen.”

“I’m going to be fine! Yvonne and Reinette barely notice I exist, and it’s not like Lynda is much danger. Rose needs your help to get rid of her curse!”

Surprisingly, Rory conceded almost immediately, but he sounded like he was the one that came out on top. “Alright, but I have a condition. When we get back, whether I have legs or not, we’re getting married.” For how confident his words were, Rory only waited a moment for a reply before adding, “Please, Amy.”

The book was right in front of Rose’s face, and her arms were getting tired from holding Rory up, but Rose still held her breath. She’d never known Amy to agree to a compromise. She was an all or nothing kind of woman, and it was some kind of miracle when Amy finally muttered, “Okay. When you get back. But I don’t intend on marrying a book, so get ready for me to try at least a thousand spells to turn you back!”

With that settled, and hoping to avoid any excited fairy on book kissing, Rose lowered Rory to her lap. “Great, glad we’ve got a plan for the after. Now how do I get there? You said Idris went missing. Does Rory have a census or something?”

She flipped open Rory’s cover to find a constantly changing table of contents on the first page. She’d only scanned for a moment before all the ink on the page dragged to one side, then another, before disappearing.

“AH! OW, OW. Wait, who are you?” Rory shouted, and when Rose closed him again, his eyes were squeezed shut. “She’s right here, why are you in my head?” He was silent for a couple seconds, shaking his head from side to side like he was trying to get something out. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked at Rose. “Idris. You’re looking for Idris and she says she’ll let us know how to reach her when we get to—wherever this spot is she’s sending us. Open me up, she gave me directions.”

Rose obliged, and when she laid Rory out flat, the pages lifted to create a platform with a map on them. A little trail passed through the length of the Gamma Forest, all the way to a small village next to Gallifrey’s biggest farming region. “It’s somewhere called Giantsville. How unoriginal is that?”

There was no time like the present, but just as Rose began changing into her new clothing behind her dressing screen, a sharp shriek rang through the house. “Rose! The girls and I need bouquets for our portrait sitting tomorrow. Go pick some!” Clearly Yvonne wasn’t so embarrassed by Rose that she would put off getting her portrait done.

So Rose picked flowers first, being sure to add a few sprigs of poison ivy to each bundle. It was a miniscule amount of payback, but Rose couldn’t help doing  _ something _ . She left them sitting in vases so they would stay fresh for the morning, then finally prepared for her trip. Sneaking out of the house was easy, Rose just had to go through the garden exit. None of the other noblewomen in the house would ever willingly go there.

It was a month long trip by foot to Giantsville, but Rose was ready. If she had her way, Rose would be curse free before her father got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know how this is feeling for you, and I hope that my writing is a little more concentrated for the next week. I'll do my level best darlings. <3


	7. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been reformatting this fic a little, and the next few chapters that I'm putting out aren't new, they're the same older chapters but cut down a little bit to more reasonable bites that match their actual titles. Sorry for the confusion!!

Raxacoricofallapatorius was brilliant, fantastic, molto bene! The meteor shower had truly been something to behold; even Jack had stopped flirting with the townspeople to watch for a little while. There was a town festival in honor of it, with little nibbles and massive roasts and enough alcohol to get everyone sufficiently drunk, but James was too caught up in his research to take part. There was so much going on up there, and he wanted to get all of the information down as best he could so that he could compare it to the next one in ten years time.

That was, if he would even be able to come experience it as king.

The purpose of James’ trip was to forget about the upcoming coronation and just enjoy himself for what would probably be the last time in a very long time, but inevitably, trying not to think about it meant it was the only thing in his head. Even laying down in the crisp summer grass with his arms folded behind his head, a perfect view of the phenomena happening in the sky above him, couldn’t take his mind off it. All the new duties he would have to deal with, all the meetings and rules and trips that would be no fun at all. A king always had to stay still, to be secure and available, but James’ only wish was to be free to travel and learn and experience the world outside of Gallifrey.

He wanted to see new places, do things people couldn’t dream of. He wanted to understand every culture and every way of life there was on the planet. Though he already knew about ten languages, James wanted to learn them all, he was sure they would fit in his head if he tried. To put it simply, being a king would be boring, like Sundays and paperwork and standing in line. It was everything James never wanted.

And it was then, staring up at the stars, that the Doctor realized that it didn’t really matter what he wanted or didn’t want. He was so small in the grand scheme of things. In the big picture he was no more than a single dot of paint on a canvas of incalculable size. He didn’t matter to the rest of the universe.

But he mattered to Gallifrey. Rose was right; James had a duty to do the right thing, and take care of his people. They relied on him, and he had the power to help them, and why couldn’t that become what he wanted? Surely it couldn’t be all bad. 

John had certainly seemed to like it. There were times he would come back from hearing the villagers complaints for hours and the smile on his face would have no end. His eyes would burn like two blue suns and he would clap James on the shoulders and and shout, “I need more days like this.” Those were the days when everyone was heard, and John had made a difference for them. It could be as simple as paying a couple gold to replace a lost sheep, or as complex as negotiating a peace treaty between two feuding families.

Each little bit of advice he could give, or peace of mind he could provide for someone made John glow enough to offset his grumpy exterior and James had never understood it. Maybe there was a reason for that.

All of James’ travelling, he’d wanted to look at cultures. Music, art, dancing, food, schooling. But he’d never learned about the people he was visiting. Even now, James had barely said two words to the Raxacoricofallapatorians that were hosting him, instead he’d left all the work to Jack.

If James was being honest with himself, and it seemed tonight he finally was, he barely knew anything about his subjects. The men all felt like machines and soldiers, and he thought women either wanted his power or his body, or both. But that couldn’t be right. Rose had sounded so completely heartbroken when she’d suggested that he took people’s land and livelihoods from them. Like they were hers to protect from the royal family. Hell, she’d sounded more like royalty than James ever had.

He hoped she’d gotten his letter. He’d tried not to come across as creepy, while still explaining that he desperately wanted to see her again. Trying to describe the way she’d taken the sting out of his nickname was impossible, but he’d done his best. The way Jack called him ‘Doc’ had never particularly bothered James before, but now it actually felt like a term of endearment. The way she’d said, “Thank you, Doctor” just before she left, made up for every time he’d felt uncomfortable hearing the words before.

It was ridiculous, how hard he’d tried not to think about her on the road to Raxacoricofallapatorius, and how badly he’d failed. It’d been worse right after he returned to town. He couldn’t shut up about her to Jack, ranting for nearly an hour about how she expected more of him and how it actually kind of hurt to know he’d disappointed her. Then when Jack had joined him a week later at the village they were to stay in and told him he’d met her, James had been sure it was fate finally giving him a point in the positive.

As Jack had pointed out, James had met the girl once, talked to her for less than half an hour, and most of that time was spent with her insulting him. But Jack had also conceded that Rose was just as lovely as James remembered, and just as honest. Turning herself in for thievery that she didn’t intend to commit? What if she hadn’t done it at all, and was simply taking the blame for someone else? He could have kissed Jack for getting her let out, and he nearly did.

Thinking about everything had long since distracted James from the last dregs of the shower, and he jumped to his feet the moment he saw Jack in a public space with his hands to himself. Bounding over to him, James could hardly contain himself as he grabbed Jack’s shoulders to keep him from getting more mead.

“I’ve got a plan, for the next two months. I know exactly what I want to do, well, kind of. You’ll have to help with the details.” he chirped.

Jack was far too used to James’ hyperactivity, and he quickly let them away from the crowd, lest James accidentally fall into a civilian with excitement. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Glad to see you’ve finally picked something. The rest of the escort was getting frustrated, not knowing where we’re going. What’s your plan, Doc?”

All the brilliant ideas James had buzzing in his head boiled down to one basic point. “I want to help the kingdom.”

There was silence as Jack waited for James to finish his sentence. When nothing came after that poignant thought, he waved his hand a little. “How?”

“No idea. That’s the part you have to help me with.” Now it seemed the stopper had been pulled on James’ thoughts and they all came pouring out. “All I know is I want to help, I want to make a difference, and get to know the actual citizens of all the places I visit. Do you understand? I have this duty, and I’ve been putting it off for far too long, and I should do what’s right for once and learn what I need to make a new plan for when I become king that will take care of my kingdom for generations to come! She was completely right, and I don’t know how, but I am  _ going  _ to do something good with my time before I take the throne. After that, I won’t be able to do any more research except from inside Arcadia.”

Jack held up a hand, “The ‘she’ is Rose, isn’t it?”

Finally wordless, James nodded vigorously.

With a long sigh, Jack looked up at the sky and put his hands on his hips, “I could kiss that girl for all the good she’s done you.”

“Don’t do that!” James blurted. He didn’t have any good way to back up his statement, but Jack was just laughing at him, so it seemed he didn’t need to.

Slinging an arm over James’ shoulder, Jack led him to the inn where they’d bought rooms. As they walked, Jack suddenly huffed a little. “If all it took was a pretty face telling you to get your act together, why didn’t you ever listen to me?”

James laughed and patted his friend on the cheek with a free hand. “Sorry Captain, you’re just not my type.”

~~~~~~~

_ So, as her stepfamily scratched their newly found itches, _

_ Rose was off, glad to be rid of the...witches. _

 

As was Rose’s luck, she barely managed three days before an incident.

The Gamma Forest had always felt like a second home to Rose. She knew everyone who lived in it within 15 miles of her house, and while that was only a tiny portion of the land the forest covered, it had always felt big to her.

Elt’s clan was nearly family by now, and when Rose tossed a last minute dagger into the neck of a deer that was about to get away from the strong but not particularly deft Ogres, they were happy to escort her back to their encampment. As they walked together through the forest, one of Elt’s cousins teased Rose about her bad accent and separated from the group with her a little under the pretense of teaching her better pronunciation of Ogrish vowels. Instead, they taught her swear words and laughed wildly each time Rose got one wrong. 

From there she borrowed a horse used by the youngest Ogres and to carry supplies, and rode past the tiny Elfin settlement she usually frequented into the land of Elt’s neighbouring allies, where she spent the night tending to their ill. 

It was just a simple virus, but the clan had been so happy to see the Bad Wolf, she couldn’t leave them to deal with it by themselves. When it turned out to be something she hadn’t dealt with, Rose was prepared to pile on all the viral remedies she knew, but Rory stopped her, calling to her from the nest of leaves she’d propped him up in.

“I have something that can help, flip to page 245.” He’d been a wonderful conversationalist when they were alone, but usually around other people he kept his face hidden. Clearly the feverish Ogres laying on pallets on the ground were sick enough he wasn’t worried about exposure.

The page he pointed out was immensely helpful. “ _ A Symptoms Catalog for Self Diagnosis and Treatment of Minor Illnesses,  _ Rory this is fantastic! Why would you have this though? It’s not exactly helpful for a fairy, you guys don’t get sick, right?”

Rory’s face was that of a man who was trying to shrug but couldn’t for a lack of shoulders. “Actually, I was a physician’s assistant before Amy—well, before I found myself without the necessary limbs for work. I knew a lot about medicine already, and it just kind of copied itself onto my pages.” After a moment he added softly, “Your mother used to ask for my help when you got sick. She never told Pete about me, though I begged, and because he was always with her once she stayed in bed I never got to have a look. I’ll never know if I could’ve helped.”

Rose touched the corner of Rory’s cover lightly. “I don’t think anybody could, she got sick so fast. Let’s just help these nice people for now, okay?”

An easy poultice combined with hot tea made up of a combination of herbs that Rory helped Rose hunt for was the best cure, and they both breathed a sigh of relief when after a couple hours the sick Ogres’ breathing evened out and their coughing ceased. Once Rose had copied down the treatment plan in case the virus popped up again, there was nothing left to do but let the patients rest.

The clan let her stay the night before sending her on her way, on foot.

Twenty four hours was the longest Rose had ever dared stay in the forest. It was only possible to spend so much time there if her stepfamily was out of town, and that was a rare enough occurrence that Rose was disoriented when she woke up in a crude hut instead of her own bed. Leaving the hamlet of the Ogre clan led by Donir meant Rose was also the farthest from home she’d ever been. After she passed their boundaries, she would be in completely unfamiliar territory.

Nothing went wrong the second day either. Much like the day she’d first met Elt, Rose came upon a stopped hunting party that was trying to treat a wound caused by a frantic and angry wildcat. The deep scratches hadn’t stopped the injured Ogre from raising the alarm, and Rose was quickly surrounded.

Apparently her name had traveled further than she had, for when she said the words “Bad Wolf” all weapons were lowered. After checking Rory’s index and then finding the right chapter on bandaging such deep wounds, during which time Rory stayed thankfully silent, Rose asked for water to be heated, and pulled a roll of clean linen from her cloak. It took nearly an hour of careful washing and slow wrapping before it was even close to safe for the party to take their member home.

Though she was once again offered a safe place to sleep for the night, Rose declined in favour of covering more ground. She spent the night up a tree, extremely uncomfortable, but safe from the ground predators at least.

While the morning began well enough, without being attacked by anything or falling off the limb she’d tied herself to, Rose found trouble only a few hours into her walk.

It started with a shout that sent Rose running straight into danger, Rory tucked under her arm. A small camp was set up just inside a clearing, two simple tents, a couple horses tied to a low hanging branch, and an Elf chained to wooden board. His arms and legs were pulled into a star formation and two bandits were using him as target practice for throwing knives. Lucky they were bad shots, and it didn’t look like they’d managed to hit the man dressed in bright green clothing.

“What do you think you’re doing?” This was beyond disgusting. As if members of the royal government arresting and abusing Elves weren’t bad enough, even humans just as poor and mistreated as the Elves had the audacity to think themselves better just because of their species.

Her strong approach didn’t have much of an effect on bandits, and they didn’t seem bothered by her abrasive appearance. Rose’s hair was hanging down in messy waves that made her feel like some kind of wild thing, and her daggers were on display at her belt.

Still, one of the bandits stepped forward, thrusting his shoulders up and giving her a sarcastic drawl, “Who’s this who thinks she’s so tough?” At his words, another man dropped from a branch with a slingshot in one hand.

Rose considered her chances, and they looked pretty good. Three aggressive Ogres would be a problem, but she’d been trained to fight men since the age of 11. Offering them one last chance to leave, Rose stood tall and dropped Rory to the side. “I’m the Bad Wolf.”


	8. Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another reformatted chapter, sorry!

There was a flash of recognition in one of bandit’s eyes, and he snorted, “You’re the Bad Wolf? The Bad Wolf is a girl?” Ignoring his partner’s words, the man closest to Rose reached for her shoulder. Grabbing his outstretched arm, Rose yanked him forward and used his momentum to swing him into the tree trunk beside her. With a small  _ clunk _ he dropped to the ground, holding his head.

The other two men threw themselves forward. One had a long purple bandana hanging from his neck, and when Rose dodged his punch she reached above her and grabbed a fistful of it, wrenching it down so he bent over. Standing again, Rose lifted a foot and kicked him in the butt, sending him stumbling forward. The last one was the most vicious, and Rose couldn’t move in time to avoid his fist and foot. The hand left a sharp pain in Rose’s eye, and his kick sent her flying to the ground.

Rose reached up with one hand to unclasp her cloak, and used the other to pull a dagger from her waist. The first bandit had recovered, but when he leaned down to try grabbing her again, Rose swiped out with her blade, cutting a line across his knuckles. The man shouted, and she took the opportunity to roll to the side and get up. Now all three of them were properly angry, and Rose was sure she would come out of this with way too many bruises.

She didn’t want to really hurt them, but when the vicious one pulled his own knife and charged her, Rose didn’t hesitate to knock his hand to the side and slice her knife across his inner elbow, effectively disabling his arm. Moving into his personal space, Rose kneed him in the crotch. As he leaned down in pain, she turned her back and jerked her elbow into his nose.

He must have been their leader, because when he retreated to one of the tied up horses, the others followed. Screaming obscenities, they rode off. It was over much faster than Rose had imagined, but she was nothing if not grateful. Learning to protect herself had been a blessing, but Rose hated fighting.

“Who the hell are you?” For a someone in chains, the Elf that had watched Rose’s fight sounded almost offended at her intervention.

Dusting herself off and putting her knife away, Rose went over to him and began to free him. As he was being held up by his arms, she started with those, hoping to prevent him any more pain. “Like I said, I’m the Bad Wolf. Are you okay?”

Working from the top down had unintended consequences, and once she’d unhooked both his wrists, the dark man dropped to the ground with his feet still held up in the air. He faceplanted into the dirt and Rose squeaked an apology before removing the irons on his ankles.

Briskly wiping his face off, the man stood. His hair was cropped very close to his head, revealing the telltale Elven points of his long ears, and his eyes were immediately suspicious. “No, I am not okay!” He began rubbing at his neck. “I think I broke something, or dislocated it.” With a loud crack, he twisted his head to the side. “Oh, nevermind then. I’m fine.”

He jumped to his feet and slapped his hands together. “My name’s Mickey, now what’s this about you being the Bad Wolf?”

“Um, well, that’s who I am…” How many times was she going to have to say this?

“But you’re a woman.”

Rose immediately crossed her arms, bristling with annoyance. “Yeah, is that a problem?”

Mickey shrugged, “Guess not, just everyone says you’re a bloke. Can’t blame them though, considering you’re wearing men’s clothes. What’re you doing that for anyway?”

“‘Cus I do! Besides, I just saved your life, least you could do is not insult my clothes.”

There was an awkward silence as Mickey brushed a little dirt from his arms. Standing straight, he was taller than her, and his arms bulged slightly with untrained muscle. Clearly it bothered him that Rose had needed to come to his rescue. She was used to that. No one wanted to need saving, and when you were as put upon as the Elves were, it probably hurt what little pride you were allowed to keep, having a girl fight your battles. 

The best thing she could do was just leave him be. It would only make him angrier if she asked to escort him somewhere safe. He looked plenty strong, surely he’d make it home okay. Relaxing a little, Rose said, “Well, if you’re alright, then I have to be going. But, uh, good luck.” She didn’t wait for an answer as she went to retrieve her cloak from the ground and Rory from his facedown position in some leaves.

He didn’t move as she got herself situated and when she began to return to the path she’d been following, he called out. “Listen, can I buy you a drink?” His words were flirtatious and there was a seductive air to the way he crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow, but Rose could see his tense stance clearly. He didn’t want to be alone, and she didn’t blame him.

Smiling brightly, but trying not to give him the wrong idea Rose agreed, “A drink would be great. Do you know a good place?”  _ A safe place _ . Who knew how long it would be before the bandits returned for their things?

Mickey led the way through the forest, heading back to the same path Rose had been taking, but turning off to the right after a mile spent in silence. He was the one who broke it, forced confidence and frustration seeping from his words. “I was already chained up, or they’d never have got the drop on me.”

A little bit of ego stroking never hurt anyone, “I’m sure they wouldn’t. You aren’t exactly skinny.” It was true. Whereas most Elves Rose had met were lithe, and had dancers bodies, Mickey looked like he wrestled or fought, much like the guards Rose often taunted. Unlike James, who was such a twig Rose had nearly worried about breaking his arm when she’d realized she was laying on it.

The thought surprised Rose, and she missed the prideful swell of Mickey’s chest at her compliment. She hadn’t been thinking about James since leaving the prison, too relieved at not spending the night behind bars.

She was still angry with him. Whatever his intentions had been with sending her that mystery letter, they’d gotten her into the most trouble she’d ever been. And the way Captain Jack had said ‘The Doctor’s Rose’ confused the hell out of her. In what way did she belong to the Doctor? As if she’d ever even want to, he was such a clueless git. Even if he did save her life, and no matter how kind he had been, it didn’t excuse any of the things he’d let the kingdom suffer through at the hands of the Regent.

People like Mickey would never have to rely on a nobleman’s daughter to protect them in the first place if Rassilon hadn’t taken away their ability to do something with their lives that wasn’t  _ entertainment _ . How Captain Jack could’ve thought Rose had ‘fixed’ James’ head was beyond her. He’d looked just as dazed and confused when she’d left him, as when he first laid eyes on her.

The sudden dive Rose took into her thoughts had left Mickey a little confused himself, and he nudged Rose’s shoulder. She looked up at him so quickly she tripped on a root and would have fallen over if he hadn’t grabbed her waist to keep her up. Once again, Rose was in a too intimate position with a complete stranger. This time though, she didn’t feel any qualms about pulling away. Mickey just winked at her, “Maybe it’s best you’re coming with me. Blokes with knives are no problem, but you’re doomed if we come across a hole in the road.”

He was flirting madly, and Rose didn’t quite have the heart to shut him down. He was plenty nice, and certainly attractive. Much more attainable than...other men. And it wasn’t like it could hurt anything to just relax for a bit. It’s not like she could tell him who she really was. So she smiled, “Good job I have you here to protect me.”

Another few steps, and Rose couldn’t help asking. “Why were you in chains when the bandits found you?” Normally she wouldn’t pry, but he’d relaxed considerably and she wasn’t quite as worried he’d blow up at her for the question.

“Got picked up. They’re rounding up loads of us to go train for the coronation. Wasn’t enough room in the wagon, so a couple of us had to walk in the back. It was easy enough to pick the lock on the chain they had around my waist, but I didn’t have time to let anyone else go before someone came to check on us.” He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and glared at the path in front of him. “I was following them, trying to find a time to let everyone else go. Then the idiot with the bandana got me with his stupid slingshot and I fell out of my tree cus’ my hands were stuck together. When I woke up I was on that board. Now the wagon’s long gone.”

There wasn’t really a good answer to that, and Rose didn’t try to find one. The rest of their walk was spent in nearly comfortable silence.

As they got closer to a small village half built into the trees, Mickey began to hide behind tree trunks and bushes at the slightest sight of another Elf. Rose wasn’t sure why he felt the need to arrive unnoticed, especially since it looked like any royal guards that had been there were gone, but she followed him anyway. When they reached a pile of empty crates, she ventured. “Mickey, you said you live here. Why’re we hiding?”

“Why do you think? We’ve got to entertain any humans that show up, or else we’re punished. If they see you it’ll cause a riot.” A small group of drunken elves swaggered past their hiding spot, and Mickey ducked his head as low as it would go. 

Rose looked up, examining the trees nearby. While there were conventional buildings on the ground level, smaller huts either hung from large limbs, or were part of the trees themselves. If Rose could just get up a tree, she’d be able to sneak in unnoticed. “Mickey, here. Take my book and head on in. Once I see where you went, I’ll find my own way there. They don’t have to sing or anything every time they see me, right?”

Mickey shook his head in confusion, but when Rose pulled herself onto a branch nearby he seemed to understand her intentions. “Just get past the perimeter and they’ll leave you alone. Blimey, what can’t you do?”

Ignoring him, Rose climbed higher until Mickey disappeared from view, but she had a good picture of the village square. After a few moments, Mickey’s figure wandered in, Rory held loosely in his arms. He headed for the biggest building on the ground, one with light and music pouring out of every window.

She only stayed in the trees long enough to get into the town. Then she shimmied down a trunk and followed a dirt path into what looked like an inn. The music was so loud Rose had to fight not to cover her ears, and it was obvious why. In order to get around the ridiculous rules, every server and busser in the large dining room was singing as they worked; everything from happy trills to whistles imitating a mandolin, and in the case of one particularly unhappy looking man cleaning up spills, a funeral dirge. The effect was jarring, but it wasn’t like Rose was going to complain.

Mickey was waiting for her in a slightly quieter corner of the room, sitting at a small table with another man. He was just beginning to lift Rory’s cover when Rose dropped into the seat next to him and swiped the book into her lap. “Excuse me, private property!”

“What’s that then? Secret diary?” Beside him, the other man snorted, and Rose raised an eyebrow at him. He was an elf as well, but pale, with bright blonde hair that look like it’d cut her if she touched its spikes.

She’d known Mickey for less than a day, and his friend was a complete stranger. There was no chance she’d show Rory to them. “Something like that, yeah.”

Leaning back in his chair and swinging an arm out, Mickey did introductions, “That’s Jake. Jake, this is…look you’ve gotta give me a name.”

“Told you, my name is…” Rose suddenly realized how very exposed she was. If the village was made up of just Elves, she needn’t worry, but there were plenty of humans around and she’d snuck past a guard on her way in. Royal or not, they probably had it out for her alias. Lowering her voice considerably, Rose muttered. “My name is Bad Wolf.”

It wasn’t quiet enough. Behind her a loud voice called out. “You’re the Bad Wolf?” Rose swung around to see Mickey, or rather someone who looked exactly like him, but somehow wasn’t him. The only difference she could see was that he wore much baggier, more human looking clothes. “You’re the most wanted criminal in Gallifrey!”

The entire inn went dead silent.


	9. A Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the last edited chapter. The next one I put up Will be new!

Rose wasn’t ready for a fight. Her eye had puffed up from the hit the bandit had gotten in, and she was tired from a night in a tree and then a day of travel. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and even if she’d been in prime condition, there were just too many people.

But rather than the shouts of “Get her!” and the rush of attackers that Rose expected, the patrons and workers of the inn stayed quiet. It was even more unnerving to have them all just watching her, and Rose wasn’t sure what to do about it. She couldn’t escape, wouldn’t make it to the front door if they tried to stop her, so she just tried for a smile. 

Appearing out from behind the bar counter, an old woman came forward, finding her way with a white cane. Her grey hair was tied up in a smart looking bun, and her  brown pointed ears drooped a little with age. Everyone in front of her moved out of the way, creating a path to Rose. Though Rose knew better than to underestimate someone just because of their looks, she didn’t feel threatened by the woman’s approach and let her take Rose’s hand between her own. “Thank you, dear. We’ve all got family further south, and they’ve said nothing but good things about you.”

“Um, I guess I’m just happy to help?” Rose glanced at the door where she’d seen a guard, but the woman only laughed and released her hand.

She stepped over to the man who’d outed Rose, tugging on his jacket until he leaned down a little, and gave him a firm smack on the back of head. “Now you just ignore Rickey, he’s never been good with subtlety. You’ll be perfectly safe here. We’re all criminals of one sort or the other.” A few of the audience around them laughed, and then things just relaxed. Everyone went back to their business, and Rickey led the woman to the back again before joining them at the table looking sheepish.

Mickey pulled his twin down to a seat he’d pulled up beside him and added to his introductions. “This idiot is Rickey, my brother.”

Brothers think alike, apparently, because Rickey, no longer seeming embarrassed about putting Rose in danger, immediately reached toward Rory. “What’s this then?” He even sounded like Mickey, but his voice was much more gruff, like he considered the book a threat.

“Mine,” was all Rose said in reply before she tried to change the subject, turning to Mickey. “So, what’s your guys’ deal?”

Rickey tensed up, but Mickey just leaned in conspiratorially. “We’re you, basically.” 

Rose felt her whole face scrunch up. “What?”

Now Jake butted in, “We’re soldiers, BW. Fighting for the cause, pumping up for the revolution!”

“Exactly! Rickey here is the brawn, he does most of the punching and fighting like you did. Jake is the sneaky one, he can go pretty much anywhere and not be seen.” Rose tried not to scoff at Mickey’s words, but she didn’t see how someone with such loud hair managed to be stealthy.

When Mickey didn’t go on, Rose prompted him. “And what are you? Where do you fit in?”

For a moment he froze, thinking, then he threw out his chest with confidence. “I’m their strategist, their technical support! Infiltration and investigation!”

Taking a second to understand, confusion ate away at Rose. “Wait, so you think I’m—?” 

She wasn’t even sure how to finish the question, but Mickey did it for her. “You’re our general, the big boss. So tell us, Bad Wolf. What’s the mission?”

“I guess laying low won’t be hard for you,” came a muffled voice, and Rose squeezed the book against her stomach, uselessly hoping they hadn’t heard.

The three men surrounding her jumped and began surveying the room. “Who said that?” snarled Rickey.

“Nobody!” Rose threw out what she hoped was a dazzling smile, but all it did was draw Jake’s attention to her.

He looked her over, his eyes pausing on the Rory. “Did that come from the book?” Jake’s eyes narrowed and he slowly began to rise from his seat, body tense.

“No.”

“Yes, it did.”

“No, it didn’t.” Rose flipped the book over, showing Jake the empty space where Rory’s head would normally be. It looked like a normal, only slightly too big book.

“Yes, it did!”

“No, it didn’t!” This time the words came from Rory, who materialized into his space and grinned cheekily around the table. Ugh, Rose should have gotten a bag to stuff him in.

Rickey jumped into a full stand and rested his hand on his belt, probably reaching for a weapon. When Rory didn’t start trying to curse him or cause anything particularly magical to happen, the three ‘soldiers’ relaxed. Jake even smiled.

Mickey was the first one to comment. “A talking book?”

“He’s a friend of mine.” Rose answered. She glanced down to find Rory’s smile had softened kindly and was now aimed toward her. Well, they didn’t seem too dangerous. As long as Rory didn’t call too much attention to himself, they should be okay. Rose tried to backtrack to before the interruption. “Wait, what do you mean, mission?”

The men just stared at her. Rickey and Jake bumped elbows, and Mickey just raised his eyebrows.

Shifting Rory to stand up on the table by himself, Rose crossed her arms. “Look, Mickey, I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m no general, and as far as I know, there’s no revolution.”

“But you’re the Bad Wolf. The rogue that releases prisoners and destroys the royal guard’s weapons, who once sabotaged a hunting party that was  _ led _ by the Regent himself!” Mickey’s eyes narrowed. “That was you, right?”

Rose’s face went hot and she rubbed at her cheek. “Well, I mean, yeah. But he wasn’t actually at the camp at the time.” No, they needed to understand. “But I don’t do that stuff because I have some kind of agenda, I do it because it’s...the right thing to do.”

“What, and a revolution isn’t? Have you seen what they do to us? You’re human, you can just go home and pretend nothing’s wrong. The rest of us are stuck living like this. If doing the right thing is what you’re after, you need to help us!” Mickey’s voice had slowly risen, until he was nearly shouting. If not for the already loud atmosphere, they would have become the center of attention again.

It wasn’t fair. She was just a nobleman’s daughter! “Why me? I’m no one special!”

This time it was Rickey that cut in. “You’re kidding right? You’re the Bad Wolf, do you not get what that means? You have a responsibility!”

Rose paused, then gave up on a response altogether. After all, hadn’t she said nearly the same thing to James on the day they met? He had a responsibility to the kingdom, and so did Rose. If he wouldn’t fulfill his part, she was their last chance.

But what could she do about it? She was no general, Rose knew nothing about war or politics. Overthrowing a corrupt government wasn’t exactly something she’d been taught by her mother. Still, she had to try.

Everyone at the table was still watching Rose expectantly, even Rory. “If—If I help you, will you help me first? It’s just, I’m looking for someone. My godmother. I need her help with...something. If you help me find her, I’ll do whatever I can to help you with your revolution.”

So it was settled. From just a party of two, to a party of five, they agreed on a plan. First they went to Giantville and found Idris, then they overthrew the government. Rose began to wonder as she fell asleep in her room at the inn, whether or not she’d make it home in time for her father’s return.

 

\---------

They’d been at this for weeks now, and James was slowly losing faith. There was only a month and a half to go before his coronation, but he and his escort still hadn’t found their target. 

It was the guards’ idea. Clueless as to what exactly would help the kingdom the most during his last few months of freedom, Jack had suggested James ask the men who were assigned to protect and guide him around Gallifrey’s provinces what they thought was the biggest threat. Their response? A rogue criminal called the Bad Wolf.

The Doctor had never heard of him before, but the guards were only too happy to regale him with stories of the Bad Wolf’s schemes and destruction. They spoke of the stranger who always covered his face with a hood and fought as well with a sword as any of them, who stole their supplies and scared off game until they were forced to end their hunting parties and journeys early and return to base before their time. If that didn’t work, he would frighten the horses pulling the wagons, sending the skittish creatures racing out of the forest and leaving men to walk back home.The Bad Wolf was known for releasing other criminals from their prison wagons, including Ogres. He was never caught, always disappearing into the trees with his loot or incapacitating the royal guards in order to help prisoners escape.

According to the guards, the Bad Wolf’s actions had spurred others to rebel as well. Elves had started accosting traveling parties in the woods, taking supplies and weapons from them. It was almost like the Gamma Forest was cursed.

If James could catch the Bad Wolf and bring him to justice, he would be ensuring the safety of not only his men, but of the villages surrounding the forest that were probably suffering because of the Bad Wolf as well. He just needed to find the rogue first.

Wandering the forest would be pointless, so they started looking in the area where most of the sightings had been. It was the southern corner of the forest, frighteningly close to Powell. It shouldn’t have been his first thought. He was on a mission, a quest basically, and he had a very strict time limit. But he was so close, just a mile or two out. It wouldn’t take long, and he’d love to see Rose’s reaction to his letter.

He’d been trying not to think about her lately. Of course she was the inspiration for this whole plan in the first place, but he didn’t want to do it because she’d essentially told him to. James wanted to help his people for the sake of helping. He was trying to channel his brother, and his father, and their unending awe and protective nature toward the kingdom. Most days it worked, when it didn’t make him feel so melancholy he hid himself away in his tent or rented room and stubbornly tinkered with a box of gears and miniature machine bits that he liked to put together and then pull apart. Most days, he was delighted to chat with the noblemen they passed by and discuss hopes and plans for the future with Jack transcribing his ideas.

And he was bursting with ideas. Everything from taxes to property laws, to nearly forgotten memories of his father’s long term plans for the kingdom that Rassilon had somehow never gotten to. There were so many ways he could help and keep busy once he went into office, that it didn’t feel quite so stifling anymore. His only worry now was completing his goal before the coronation and apprehending the Bad Wolf.

But surely that could wait just a few hours, while he visited Rose?

It began to rain as he rode up to the house he’d been directed to, and maybe it was because of the heavy cloaks he and Jack were wearing—brown for traveling, instead of the usual royal red—that they weren’t recognized right away. He’d left the escort on the edge of the forest to wait for him, in the hopes that it would make Rose more comfortable. After Jack’s description of his meeting with her, James didn’t want to give her the wrong idea by showing up surrounded by soldiers.

She had a quaint little home, much like the ones he stayed at during his travels. While it wasn’t large, it looked homey and pleasantly lived in, unlike the many echoey corridors of the Citadel. Ivy grew around the front doorway and spread all the way up to a small window with powder pink curtains. Another, much larger window with dark blue shades overlooked the path, and as James blinked up at it through the rain, it seemed to move for a moment.

James knocked quickly on the door, grateful for the awning that shielded them from what was becoming a bit of a downpour, and it only took a couple seconds before a ginger head peered out. “Hello, I’m here to see Rose.” he blurted out, realizing only afterwards that it was probably terribly improper to just appear at someone’s house looking for them. He didn’t want to scare her. “I mean, well, what I meant was—”

“Are you the Doctor?” asked the woman. Glancing back into the house, the redhead moved until she was most of the way out the door. “Rose isn’t here, and she never got your letter. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently.” She was rushing, spitting the words out as quickly as her mouth would allow, like someone was going to stop her.

Someone did. Before James could properly respond, the door swung open wide and the woman was tugged rather sharply away from the open space. Replacing her, was Reinette.

He’d caught her off guard this time, as was evidenced by the fact that she wasn’t wearing, holding, or humming anything that might show up in an article about him. It was almost refreshing, seeing her in a cream coloured house dress with a fan in her hand.

Reinette slipped the fan into her pocket and curtseyed deeply. “Your Highness, I’m so sorry our maid didn’t invite you and your friend in. Please, come out of this weather!”

The inside of the house was similar to the outside, simple but homey. The redhead was now standing in a corner of the room, staring down at her shoes, looking completely different than the confident and frantic woman who’d answered the door.

A delicate hand wrapped around James’ wrist, and Reinette led him through the front room to a small sitting area, Jack following a few steps behind. As soon as they stopped the maid walked up to them and held out her hands, offering to take their soaking cloaks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” James said, handing it to her carefully and offering the kindest smile he could. She’d talked about Rose like they were close.

From the looks of it she was a fairy, which meant she was probably a lot older than she appeared. It was increasingly common for fairies to lend themselves to households and watch their children in exchange for room and board. They made the perfect nurses, male or female. Because of their massive lifespan, they could take care of generations of children for one family, and know the kids their whole lives, and their magic made them self sufficient caretakers.

The woman actually smiled a little, “My name’s Amy.”

“Is that short for Amelia? That’s a brilliant name! I don’t think I’ve ever met an Amelia. I’m his Royal Highness Prince James.” Behind him, Jack coughed. “But, of course, I really would prefer if you just called me Doctor. It’s not as though I’m here on any official business.” James scratched the back of his head and turned to make way for Jack’s own introduction.

Before he could say anything, Jack swooped forward and grabbed Amelia’s hand with a delicate touch. “Captain Jack Harkness, pleasure to meet you.”

“ _ Jack. _ ” James warned. Sure enough, Amelia’s ears were already a bright pink. The Captain had that effect on people.

They were all standing around the chairs and the settee as they spoke. The overstuffed cushions looked inviting, but James was on a mission. He’d already discussed his intentions with Jack beforehand.

All he knew about Rose’s family was gleaned from that short conversation with Reinette nearly a month before, but they didn’t seem to particularly like Rose, though James couldn’t imagine why. There was still the worry of causing her unnecessary trouble by giving her too much attention, and it would be incredibly forward for him to show up looking for her specifically. No, he needed to be cool and collected, so James turned his attention to Reinette.

“Miss. Tyler—” he began.

“Please, call me Reinette. The Tyler name is relatively new to me, you might better recognize me by Hartman, actually. We used to live just outside the Citadel, you know. My mother, Yvonne, was a permanent name on the invitation list to the royal dinners.” Her smile was demure, yet proud. Of course, being a Hartman, she had plenty to be proud of.

James knew of the Hartmans only by reputation, since he’d avoided every council meeting and royal ceremony his father would allow while John was crown prince. Lumic Hartman was a genius who’d been working for the throne for years, developing new technology and trying to blend magic with science. He made a fortune before he died, which would explain why Rose’s house looked so old and well worn, but the furnishings all appeared brand new. Old house, new family.

Allowing his brows to rise, James nodded appreciatively. “I’m afraid I never had the pleasure of properly meeting your mother. Anyway, Reinette, I was in the area and thought I might come see if you received my invitations. I know you agreed to come to the ball when I asked you, but I couldn’t resist stopping by.” Then, as casually as he could, he added. “Also, my personal guard, Captain Jack, wanted to check in on Rose Tyler.”

“Rose? How do you know Rose, Captain?” Reinette’s sharp blue eyes shifted to Jack, and once again, James saw something harsh under her soft-spoken exterior. It was unsettling to see the difference between how she spoke to him, and how she spoke to everyone else.

Jack looked completely unbothered by the interrogative tone of Reinette’s voice and leaned heavily on the back of a green chair. “Well, I met her while she was being arrested for thievery. After going to all the trouble to get her let out, I wanted to see if she’s recovered.” His own eyes glittered a little, glancing from Amelia to Reinette as he asked. “Is she here?”

In an instant, Reinette’s gaze softened and she dropped down onto the settee, tugging at her sleeves, though they weren’t in need of fixing. “I’m so sorry, Captain, but it seems your kindness was in vain. After that whole affair we discovered the Rose has been stealing from the market for ages. The poor girl is so impulsive, I blame myself for not realizing sooner.” She swiped at her eyes quickly. “When we brought her home, she was furious about something, shouting about a letter she got in the mail. We thought if we left her alone she might calm down, but the next morning, she was gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” Nothing about what Reinette said had rung true in James’ ears, except the last three words.

Reinette jerked a little to look at James, who was still standing stiffly in the middle of the room, some of the worry leaving her voice as she replied. “She left; disappeared in the night without even a note. But I’m sure she’s fine, she always was like a wild animal.” Her words caught an unabashed glare from Jack and she quickly added, “It was always a family joke, that Rose was like a little wolf running around the estate. My mother married her father when she was only seventeen, but she’d already dropped out of schooling by then. We tried so hard to convince her to go back, but she was impossible.”

Vaguely James noticed that already Reinette was talking about Rose in the past tense, but he was too stuck to respond. Rose was angry about a letter? His letter? But no, Amelia had said Rose didn’t get to see the invitation, and not to listen to anything else.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the worry already rising in his throat. “Wait, wait, what letter?”

“I’m afraid she threw it in the fire before I got a chance to see it. I thought it was from her, I mean,  _ our  _ father. He’s been gone for ages, and Rose was getting more and more violent without him here to control her.”

James was quickly losing patience with all the ridiculous little lies Reinette was coming up with, but Jack jumped in before he could lose his cool.

“You’re telling us Rose has been missing for two weeks? Where is her father now?” Jack was a master of body language, and he put it to good use now. He stood up straight again, facing Reinette directly and spreading his feet to a wider stance on the stone floor. Somehow he managed to look like he was taking up twice as much space, and with his arms crossed, he exuded power, rather than his usual sensuality.

Now the fear in Reinette’s eyes was real. “He—well, he...of course he’s—”

James spoke lowly, not even bothering to look at Reinette. “You haven’t told her father she’s missing.” It wasn’t a question.

There was no answer, but James didn’t need one. Striding across the room, he snatched his still dripping cloak from the hook on the wall and swung it around his shoulders in one motion. There was the telltale click of Jack’s boots behind him, and then a hand grabbed at his elbow.

It was Amelia. “Giantville. She’s on her way to Giantville.”


End file.
